In the poem "Root Cellar" there are a few different figures of speech the author uses. He uses simile when he says, "Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes" and "Roots ripe as old bait." Personification is also used when the lightbulbs go hunting looking for chinks in the dark. Imagery is another type of speech used this this story, with the title being "Root Cellar" you automatically think of a type of basement in a house. as you read the story you see the meaning of root has changed and suggest that it is a plant root and the author is really referring to a greenhouse.