Missing Something

Author's Note: Sometimes something extra is added to make things better. Find out what this missing piece is in the book Mocking Jay.

You have waited and waited for something incredible to send a jolt of joy through your body your entire life. If something did seem worthy of your enjoyment it would always prove to lack something. You don’t know what it is but you desire something more from this. In writing the missing piece is figurative language. In the book the Mocking Jay (By: Suzanne Collins) figurative language shapes the view taken by the reader. Without figurative language the book Mocking Jay would not attract the reader’s attention.

Mocking Jay is the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy. It is about Katniss Everdeen and a group of rebels overcoming the iron fist of their rulers, the Capitol and President Snow. As Katniss overcomes her haunting past with the Hunger Games she now gains strength to overthrow the Capitol and President Snow. However, her thin list of people she can trust shrinks while her list of enemies grows.

In certain parts of the story the author inserts figurative language to make a scene or sentence stand out or to express emotion that attracts the reader. For instance, when Peeta and a few other prisoners are rescued from the Capitol Katniss sees how happy two people are to finally see each other again and how she desires to see Peeta. She describes this feeling as “A pain of jealousy hits me.”(Page 176). This metaphor impacts the reader with the thought of jealousy. Should it have been described “I am very jealous.” the reader would not feel that emotion and simply read on being very bored. However figurative language expresses more than just emotion.

Actions also help make the scene more interesting. Such as when Katniss returns to her destroyed home and explores around. Her exploration is described as “I move through the downstairs on hunter’s feet.” (Page 12). This metaphor not only explains she is trying to be silent but also recognizes Katniss’ trait of hunting silently. Should it have been said “I moved silently through the downstairs.” it wouldn’t remind the reader that even though she has changed in many ways she is still at heart a grim, skilled hunter and set a different tone to the scene. Figurative language has allowed the actions of the story to have a larger meaning.

The reader’s attention would not be drawn to the book Mocking Jay if not for figurative language. The actions and emotions of the story are expressed better and have a greater meaning to make the reader want to question the book and keep reading. Without metaphors that change the view of certain things the book would be considered boring by the reader and it would be a struggle to continue reading.