Having a strong sense of identity and belonging is essential for people to develop a positive sense of themselves, build self-confidence, and achieve success in life. Authors often display character growth to show characters questioning themselves and discovering their true identities. Speakers apply figurative language because figurative language communicates what is not easily understood and identifies complex things. Figurative language is used to create an identity and a sense of belonging by using metaphors and hyperboles. The songs “ Lean on me” by Bill Withers, “A dream” by Common, and the poem ``Slam, Dunk & Hook” by Yusef Komunyakaa show how character identities are portrayed through figurative language.
In his song "Lean On Me," Bill Withers expressed identity and belonging while illustrating how to let the past go. The speaker demonstrated the impacts of past hardship on a person through metaphors. This is backed up by a song quote: "If there is a load you have to bear that you can't carry."
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Similes were used by author Yusef Komunyakaa to convey figurative language and indicate how the characters in his poem felt about themselves as individuals. "Glide like a sparrow hawk," which is interpreted to imply that they could move incredibly quickly and easily. This quote explains how the basketball players were able to develop their talents. In the poem, the author references thereferences to the basketball players' ability to use skills they were unaware they had. Additionally, when basketball players were able to see their potential. Because of this the basketball players had felt a sense of identity and belonging. Finding your identity as a person and not limiting yourself were the speaker's major aspects in his poem This message was expressed by the author, Yusef Komunyakaa, using similes