[03.03] Identify the figurative language used by Robert Francis in "The Base Stealer."
Write a paragraph of at least 5 sentences in which you identify at least 3 examples of
figurative language in the poem and explain how those examples convey meaning in the
poem. (20 points)
Poised between going on and back, pulled
Both ways taut like a tightrope-walker,
Fingertips pointing the opposites,
Now bouncing tiptoe like a dropped ball
Or a kid skipping rope, come on, come on,
Running a scattering of steps sidewise,
How he teeters, skitters, tingles, teases,
Taunts them, hovers like an ecstatic bird,
He's only flirting, crowd him, crowd him,
Delicate, delicate, delicate, delicate - now!
HTML Editora

The above poem refers to a basketball player who, during the game, is reflecting on whether or not to steal a base. The tension of the game and the reflection makes the player tense, anxious and apprehensive. These sensations, as well as the scenario in which the poem is established, are made with the use of figurative language that is established with the use of similes, where the poet compares the player's situation with other elements. The use of figurative language through similes can be seen in the lines:

"Both ways taut like a tightrope-walker, "

"Now bouncing tiptoe like a dropped ball "

"Taunts them, hovers like an ecstatic bird, "

Figurative language aims to use words that have one meaning, to express another meaning. This expression is made subjectively and not literally. In the lines above, figurative language is used to show how tense, agile and attentive the player was.