Analyzing the Use of Figurative Language in News and Opinion Pieces
A headline does more than report an event. When a newspaper says that markets “tumble,” a government is “paralysed,” or a city is “drowning” in problems, it presents facts through an interpretive frame. Such language encourages readers to see an issue as a crisis, conflict, disease, natural disaster, or moral struggle.
For IB English A Language and Literature, strong analysis explains how a creator’s choices construct meaning. Identifying a metaphor is only the beginning. You must show what the comparison suggests, how it shapes tone and reader response, and why it supports the text’s purpose. This guide applies that method to news articles, editorials, and opinion columns in Paper 1, the Individual Oral, and the HL Essay.
What figurative language means in non-literary texts
Figurative language communicates meaning indirectly through comparison, association, or imaginative description. It is not limited to poetry and fiction. Journalists and commentators use it to make abstract subjects such as inflation, migration, climate policy, or international conflict more concrete and emotionally immediate.
Common forms include:
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Metaphor: describing one thing as another, as in “The proposal is a time bomb.”
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Simile: making a comparison using “like” or “as.”
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Personification: giving human qualities to an abstract idea or institution, as in “The economy refuses to recover.”
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Hyperbole: deliberate exaggeration, such as “This decision will change everything.”
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Symbolism: allowing an object, place, or image to represent a broader idea, such as a wall representing exclusion.
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Imagery: sensory or descriptive language that makes an idea vivid, such as “a bleeding economy” or “a wave of protests.”
For review, consult RevisionDojo’s figurative language notes for IB English and its guide to metaphor in IB English. The label is only a starting point. Ask which qualities are transferred by the comparison and which interpretations it makes less visible.
Why news and opinion writers use figurative language
News writing often aims to appear factual, while opinion writing openly argues for a position. Both forms select and frame information. Figurative language guides interpretation before readers have considered every piece of evidence.
Figurative language frames responsibility
Compare “a wave of crime” with “a network of crime.” The first suggests something large, spreading, and difficult to control, like a natural force. The second implies organisation, coordination, and identifiable responsibility. Each metaphor encourages a different response to the same issue.
It creates emotional urgency
Describing an economy as “bleeding” imports associations of bodily injury, danger, and immediate treatment. Gradual decline may therefore feel like an emergency, supporting an argument for rapid intervention rather than patience or compromise.
It simplifies complex systems
A metaphor compresses a complicated issue into a recognisable image. Calling a political institution a “machine” may suggest efficiency, repetition, or dehumanisation. Calling it a “ship” introduces ideas of navigation, leadership, and possible disaster. These comparisons aid understanding but can hide complexity.
It reveals ideology
Immigration may be described as “a tide,” “a lifeline,” or “an invasion.” Each image carries assumptions about movement, danger, value, and belonging. Analysing those assumptions lets you discuss representation and ideology without merely stating whether you agree with the writer. For a broader framework, see how to analyze non-literary texts in IB English and rhetorical devices in non-fiction.
A five-step method for IB English analysis
Use this sequence when annotating a news or opinion piece. It prevents your response from becoming a list of devices.
1. Identify the precise choice
Name the feature accurately. “Figurative language” is broad, so specify whether the writer uses medical, war, weather, animal, or journey imagery. If several related images appear, identify the pattern rather than treating every phrase as unrelated.
2. Translate the phrase into literal meaning
Ask what the sentence would mean without the image. If a writer says, “The education system is broken,” the literal claim is that the system is failing to achieve its intended purpose. This translation keeps your interpretation grounded in the text.
3. Explore the associations
“Broken” suggests damage, malfunction, and possible repair. It may imply that the system was once whole and that someone has a responsibility to fix it. Focus on associations created by this context rather than applying a universal meaning.
4. Connect the choice to tone and purpose
A medical metaphor may create alarm and support a call for treatment. A war metaphor may create confrontation and make compromise appear weak. Link the tone to the text’s purpose, such as informing, criticising, persuading, mobilising, or entertaining.
5. Evaluate reader positioning
Explain what readers are encouraged to think, feel, or assume. Does the phrase create sympathy for one group? Does it make an opposing view seem dangerous? Does it clarify the issue, or does it sensationalise and oversimplify it?
The IB describes Paper 1 as a guided textual analysis of unseen non-literary texts. Its criteria include Criterion A: Understanding and interpretation, Criterion B: Analysis and evaluation, Criterion C: Focus and organisation, and Criterion D: Language. Figurative-language analysis is particularly useful for Criterion B because it gives you a precise way to explain how authorial choices shape meaning and affect the audience. Consult the official IB Language A: Language and Literature subject brief for the assessment overview.
Track metaphor families, not isolated phrases
Writers often sustain one field of imagery across a headline, introduction, and conclusion. Recognising the pattern can reveal the argument’s deeper structure.
| Metaphor family | Common vocabulary | Typical associations |
|---|---|---|
| War | battle, frontline, enemy, victory | conflict, urgency, sides, defeat |
| Disease | infection, symptoms, cure, recovery | danger, contamination, treatment |
| Weather | storm, tide, cloud, drought | inevitability, instability, scale |
| Machine | engine, gears, breakdown, reboot | systems, efficiency, control |
| Journey | path, crossroads, destination, detour | progress, choice, leadership |
| Construction | foundation, wall, bridge, collapse | stability, division, cooperation |
A metaphor family has no fixed meaning. A “storm” may represent danger, but it can also suggest renewal after disruption. Context, surrounding diction, and purpose determine the effect. Look for changes in the pattern: a debate that moves from journey imagery to war imagery may shift from cooperation to confrontation. For advanced pattern analysis, read RevisionDojo’s guide to allegory and extended metaphor.
Worked example: moving beyond device spotting
Consider the invented sentence: “The government has placed a sticking plaster over a fracture that reaches to the bone.”
A weak comment says only that the writer uses a metaphor. A stronger analysis explains that the medical metaphor contrasts superficial treatment with serious structural damage. “Sticking plaster” implies a temporary and inadequate response, while “fracture” and “bone” suggest a deep problem that cosmetic reform cannot solve.
The image creates a critical and urgent tone. It positions readers to distrust the government’s solution and support more fundamental change. It is effective because the contrast is familiar and visual, although it also simplifies a complex political situation by presenting one diagnosis and one implied remedy.
A useful paragraph model is:
The writer’s use of [precise technique] in “[short quotation]” frames [subject] as [implied comparison]. The association with [specific connotations] creates a tone of [tone], encouraging readers to [likely response]. This supports the writer’s purpose of [purpose], although the comparison may also [limitation or bias].
Adapt the wording to the text rather than inserting the formula mechanically. Avoid claiming certainty about every reader. “Encourages the audience to” and “positions readers to” are more precise than “makes everyone feel.”
Applying figurative language to IB assessments
Paper 1
Identify the text type, audience, and purpose before selecting language features. Prioritise the headline, opening, repeated imagery, emotional shifts, and conclusion. Choose two or three significant patterns and analyse them in depth rather than naming every metaphor.
Your thesis should connect the figurative choices to the guiding question or line of inquiry. Each paragraph should include brief evidence, close analysis, reader effect, and a link to purpose. RevisionDojo’s step-by-step Paper 1 revision guide offers a planning routine.
Individual Oral
Figurative language can provide a direct route to a global issue. Repeated metaphors of invasion may construct a group as threatening, while metaphors of burden may represent another group as a problem to manage. Compare the selected extract with the wider body of work and explain how the pattern develops instead of relying on one striking phrase.
HL Essay
An extended metaphor or recurring symbolic image can form the basis of a focused line of inquiry. Track where it appears, how it changes, and what happens when it breaks down. A strong essay does not claim that every image has one universal meaning; it shows how repetition, variation, and context develop meaning. See understanding the IB English HL Essay.
Common mistakes and a practical revision routine
Avoid naming a device without explaining it, using generic effects such as “it interests the reader,” ignoring literal meaning, or treating every metaphor as persuasive. Also avoid assuming authorial intention, analysing one phrase in isolation, or forgetting to evaluate whether an image clarifies or narrows understanding.
Take one article and annotate it in three passes. First, underline figurative language and group phrases into metaphor families. Second, write a literal translation and two or three connotations beside each important example. Third, connect the strongest pattern to audience, purpose, tone, and a possible limitation.
Then write one timed paragraph. Use IB English A Lang and Lit Questionbank practice for news articles and opinion columns, revise terminology with IB English Study Notes, and use Flashcards or Jojo AI to test whether your explanation shows effect and purpose rather than simply identifying a device.
Conclusion
Figurative language in news and opinion writing frames reality. Metaphors, personification, symbolism, and imagery can make complex events vivid, assign responsibility, intensify emotion, and guide readers toward a preferred judgment.
For IB English, move through a complete chain: identify the choice, translate its literal meaning, analyse its associations, connect it to purpose, and evaluate how it positions the audience. Practise that chain with RevisionDojo’s Questionbank and Study Notes, then use Jojo AI and Mock Exams to improve precision and speed.
