Definition of Metaphor

Closely related to similes, metaphors immediately identify one object or idea with another, in one or more aspects. The meaning of a poem frequently depends on the success of a metaphor. Like a simile, a metaphor expands the sense and clarifies the meaning of something. "He's such a pig," you might say, and the listener wouldn't immediately think, "My friend has a porcine boyfriend," but rather, "My friend has a human boyfriend who is (a) a slob, (b) a voracious eater, (c) someone with crude attitudes or tastes, or (d) a chauvinist." In any case, it would be clear that the speaker wasn't paying her boyfriend a compliment, but unless she clarifies the metaphor, you might have to ask, "In what sense?" English Renaissance poetry is characterized by metaphors that turn into elaborate conceits, or extended metaphors. Poets like John Donne and William Shakespeare extended their comparisons brilliantly, with the effect that the reader was dazzled. Contemporary poets tend to be more economical with their metaphors, but they still use them as one of the chief elements that distinguishes poetry from less lofty forms of communication.

Metaphor Exercise

What's the best metaphor to describe your life thus far? Who are you, metaphorically? Fill in the following line:

Use a metaphor that is evocative and comprehensible. How far would you have to go to make your sense perfectly comprehensible to a reader? Try to be economical without being clichéd. The key is to make sense as well:

This speaker feels: insignificant? powerless in the face of America's corporate elite? Maybe so; why, then, is he a "jumbo" shrimp? Why not a medium shrimp? Why not the olive in the martini, or better yet, the pimento in the olive? It's your metaphor for your life: choose it wisely. And remember to avoid those words that convert metaphors into similes (like and as).

Metaphor:

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INSTRUCTIONS

PART 1: What does your metaphor reveal? Write your responses in the textbox below.

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INSTRUCTIONS

PART 2: Metaphor-Maker: Select one referent and one vehicle from the following lists. Then describe what the metaphor you have created reveals about the referent. Write your responses in the textbox below.

Referent:

love

hunger

pain

happiness

sleep

desire

is a

Vehicle:

9 to 5 job

highway

TV dinner

flower

cloud

hammer

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