Lesson 1: Figurative Language

Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face by Jack Prelutsky

Be glad your nose is on your face,
not pasted on some other place,
for if it were where it is not,
you might dislike your nose a lot.

Imagine if your precious nose
were sandwiched in between your toes,
that clearly would not be a treat,
for you'd be forced to smell your feet.

Your nose would be a source of dread
were it attached atop your head,
it soon would drive you to despair,
forever tickled by your hair.

Within your ear,
your nose would bean absolute catastrophe,
for when you were obliged to sneeze,
your brain would rattle from the breeze.

Your nose, instead, through thick and thin,
remains between your eyes and chin,
not pasted on some other place--
be glad your nose is on your face!

How are the figurative language used in the poem?

Hyperbole:
The repeated use of the words: Your nose. The exaggeration that it would not be ideal if your nose were to be somewhere else: words: absolute castastrophe, source of dread, drive you to despair. These words shows the extent that you would hate your nose if it were to be somewhere else.

Personification:
“Your nose, instead, through thick and thin” makes it seem like as though the nose is a person with a will to go through a lot to achieve something.
Symbolism:
It uses the other parts of the body to express how the nose would be a source of dread if it were to be somewhere else. Eg. Your brain would rattle from the breeze, you’d be force to smell your feet

Why I liked this poem:
This poem was rather creative and funny and it shows how fortunate we are that your nose is actually on our face rather than on other parts of our body. The use of words which rhythm every 2 lines also made the poem seem more lively. The use of words which rhythm also made the poem seem easy read and made it seem smooth. The poem also made use of very exaggerated outcomes if your nose were to be somewhere else which made it funnier.