Jason Reynolds Use Of Figurative Language

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Out of all of Jason Reynolds's short stories, two of them stand out with rich figurative language, ¨Eraser Tattoo ¨ and ¨First Day Fly¨. ¨First Day Fly¨ Is a short story that illustrates the anxiety of the first day of school and all the struggles that come along. He uses very well-thought-out and broad varieties of figurative language to help the reader comprehend those struggles. ¨Eraser Tattoo¨ is a short story about making a decision you may regret without understanding the consequences. The figurative language is bland and relies on its emotional weight rather than its figurative language. Although ¨Eraser Tattoo¨ includes figurative language, ¨First Day Fly¨ displays it better due to how relatable and understandable its figurative language is. …show more content…

Nearly everyone has gone through the nerve-wracking first day of school, how do I look, do people like me, am I going to get a good seat, why are there so many people? These are all questions that people contemplate on their first day, and Reynolds utilizes figurative language effectively to express those thoughts. He describes the nerves of the first day by comparing them to a fish out of the water, ¨My stomach flip-flops like a fish on land¨ (Reynolds, ¨First Day Fly¨). This very evidently shows how relatable his figurative language is, a fish out of water is a very familiar thing to say that most people will relate to. A fish out of water is in an uncomfortable spot just like how Jason felt while he was in school on the first day. Feeling nervous is a very relatable feeling and Reynolds uses figurative language perfectly to exhibit those feelings. Overall, Reynolds is flawless at making relatable figurative