Question

interpreting figures of speech to make inferences
reread the first section of the text again.
use the highlighting tool to mark any figures of speech raisman uses. then answer the following questions using the notebook (回):

• what figures of speech does the author use?
• what can you infer based on these figures of speech?

fierce
by aly raisman (excerpt)
chills of anticipation raced up my spine. staring at the tv, i bounced up and down on the couch, so excited i could hardly sit still. no matter how many times i watched the tape, it felt like i was seeing it for the first time.
the crowd inside the georgia dome was on their feet and already making a deafening amount of noise as the seven american women filed into the arena to begin the 1996 olympic gymnastics women’s team final.
the excitement that greeted the us women’s gymnastics team as they marched briskly toward the uneven bars was the most captivating thing i had ever seen. the air in the arena was so supercharged with electricity that i could feel it in my own living room, through the screen, six years after the fact.

Explanation:

1. Identifying figures of speech:

• "Chills of anticipation raced up my spine": This uses personification, as "raced" (an action typically done by a person) is applied to the abstract "chills of anticipation".
• "The air in the arena was so supercharged with electricity": This uses a metaphor, comparing the intense, excited energy in the arena to "supercharged electricity" (no direct "like" or "as" is used).
• "the most captivating thing I had ever seen": This uses hyperbole, an exaggeration to emphasize the extreme impressiveness of the team.

1. Making inferences:

• From the personification of chills and the hyperbole of excitement, we can infer Raisman was extremely emotionally invested in the 1996 gymnastics final, even watching it years later.
• From the metaphor about the arena's "supercharged electricity," we can infer the live crowd's energy was overwhelming and palpable, even through a screen.
• Overall, we can infer the 1996 US women's gymnastics team had a profound, long-lasting impact on Raisman, likely inspiring her own gymnastics career.

Answer:

1. The figures of speech used are:

• Personification ("Chills of anticipation raced up my spine")
• Metaphor ("The air in the arena was so supercharged with electricity")
• Hyperbole ("the most captivating thing I had ever seen")

1. Inferences:

• Aly Raisman felt intense, lasting excitement about the 1996 Olympic gymnastics final.
• The live atmosphere of the 1996 final was incredibly energetic and immersive.
• The 1996 US women's gymnastics team was a powerful, formative inspiration for Raisman.