Metaphor
Metaphor
Definition
Metaphor is a figure
of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two
things that are unrelated but share some common characteristics. In other
words, a resemblance of two contradictory or different objects is made based on
a single or some common characteristics.
In
simple English, when you portray a person, place, thing, or an action as being something
else, even though it is not actually that “something
else,” you are speaking metaphorically. “He is the black sheep of the
family” is a metaphor because he is not a sheep and is not even black. However,
we can use this comparison to describe an association of a black sheep with
that person. A black sheep is an unusual animal and typically stays away from
the herd, and the person you are describing shares similar characteristics.
Furthermore,
a metaphor develops a comparison which is different from a simile i.e. we do not use
“like” or “as” to develop a comparison in a metaphor. It actually makes an
implicit or hidden comparison and not an explicit one.
Common
Speech Examples of Metaphors
Most
of us think of a metaphor as a device used in songs or poems only, and
that it has nothing to do with our everyday life. In fact, all of us in our
routine life speak, write and think in metaphors. We cannot avoid them.
Metaphors are sometimes constructed through our common language. They are
called conventional metaphors. Calling a person a “night owl” or an “early
bird” or saying “life is a journey” are common conventional metaphor examples
commonly heard and understood by most of us. Below are some more conventional
metaphors we often hear in our daily life:
- My brother was boiling mad.
(This implies he was too angry.)
- The assignment was a breeze.
(This implies that the assignment was not difficult.)
- It is going to be clear
skies from now on. (This implies that clear skies are not a
threat and life is going to be without hardships)
- The skies of his future began
to darken. (Darkness is a threat; therefore, this implies that
the coming times are going to be hard for him.)
- Her voice is music
to his ears. (This implies that her voice makes him feel happy)
Literary
Metaphor Examples
Metaphors
are used in all type of literature but not often to the degree they are used in
poetry because poems are meant to communicate complex images and feelings to
the readers and metaphors often state the comparisons most emotively. Here are
some examples of metaphor from famous poems.
Example
#1
“She
is all states, and all princes, I.”
John
Donne, a metaphysical poet, was well-known for his abundant use of metaphors
throughout his poetical works. In his well-known work “The Sun Rising,” the
speaker scolds the sun for waking him and his beloved. Among the most evocative
metaphors in literature, he explains “she is all states, and all princes, I.”
This line demonstrates the speaker’s belief that he and his beloved are richer
than all states, kingdoms, and rulers in the entire world because of the love that they share.
Example
#2
“Shall
I Compare Thee to a summer’s Day”,
William Shakespeare was the
best exponent of the use of metaphors. His poetical works and dramas all make
wide-ranging use of metaphors.
“Sonnet 18,”also known as
“Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day,” is an extended metaphorbetween
the love of the speaker and the fairness of the summer season. He writes that
“thy eternal summer,” here taken to mean the love of the subject, “shall not
fade.”
Example
#3
“Before
high-pil’d books, in charact’ry / Hold like rich garners the full-ripened
grain,”
The
great Romantic poet John
Keats suffered great losses in his life – the death of his father in
an accident, and of his mother and brother through tuberculosis.
When
he began displaying signs of tuberculosis himself at the age of 22, he wrote
“When I Have Fears,” a poem rich with metaphors concerning life and death. In
the line “before high-pil’d books, in charact’ry / Hold like rich garners the
full-ripened grain”, he employs a double-metaphor. Writing poetry is implicitly
compared with reaping and sowing, and both these acts represent the emptiness
of a life unfulfilled creatively.
Functions
From
the above arguments, explanations and examples, we can easily infer the
function of metaphors; both in our daily lives and in a piece of literature.
Using appropriate metaphors appeals directly to the senses of listeners or
readers, sharpening their imaginations to comprehend what is being communicated
to them. Moreover, it gives a life-like quality to our conversations and to the
characters of the fiction or
poetry. Metaphors are also ways of thinking, offering the listeners and the
readers fresh ways of examining ideas and viewing the world.
Simile
Definition
A simile is a figure of
speech that makes a comparison,
showing similarities between two different things. Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws
resemblance with the help of the words “like” or “as”. Therefore, it is a
direct comparison.
We
can find simile examples in our daily speech. We often hear comments like “John
is as slow as a snail.” Snails are notorious for their slow pace and here the
slowness of John is compared to that of a snail. The use of “as” in the example
helps to draw the resemblance. Some more examples of common similes are given
below.
Common
Examples of Simile
- Our soldiers are as brave as lions.
- Her cheeks are red like a rose.
- He is as funny as a monkey.
- The water well was as dry as a
bone.
- He is as cunning as a fox.
Simile
inputs vividness into what we say. Authors and poets utilize comparisons to
convey their sentiments and thoughts through vivid word pictures like a simile.
Function
of Simile
From
the above discussion, we can infer the function of similes both in our everyday
life as well as in literature. Using similes attracts the attention and appeals
directly to the senses of listeners or readers encouraging their imagination to
comprehend what is being communicated. In addition, it inspires life-like
quality in our daily talks and in the characters of fiction or poetry. Simile
allows readers to relate the feelings of a writer or a poet to their personal
experiences. Therefore, the use of similes makes it easier for the readers to
understand the subject matter of a literary text, which may have been otherwise
too demanding to be comprehended. Like metaphors, similes also offer variety in
our ways of thinking and offers new perspectives of viewing the world.
Symbolism
Definition
Symbolism is the use
of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that
are different from their literal sense.
Symbolism
can take different forms. Generally, it is an object representing another to
give it an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant.
Sometimes, however, an action, an event or a word spoken by someone may have a
symbolic value. For instance, “smile” is a symbol of friendship. Similarly, the
action of someone smiling at you may stand as a symbol of the feeling of
affection which that person has for you.
Symbols
do shift their meanings depending on the context they are used in. “A chain”,
for example, may stand for “union” as well as “imprisonment”. Thus, symbolic
meaning of an object or an action is understood by when, where and how it is
used. It also depends on who reads them.
Common
Examples of Symbolism in Everyday Life
In
our daily life, we can easily identify objects, which can be taken as examples
of symbol such as the following:
- The dove is a symbol of peace.
- A red rose or red color stands for love or romance.
- Black is a symbol that represents
evil or death.
- A ladder may stand as a symbol for
a connection between the heaven and the earth.
- A broken mirror may symbolize
separation
Symbolism
Examples in Literature
To
develop symbolism in his work, a writer utilizes other figures of speech, like
metaphors, similes,allegory,
as tools. Some symbolism examples in literature are listed below with brief
analysis:
Example
#1
“All
the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
they have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,”
The
above lines are symbolic of the fact that men and women, in course of their
life perform different roles. “A stage” here symbolizes the world and “players”
is a symbol for human beings.
Example
#4
Sara
Teasdale in her poem Wild Asters develops a number of striking
symbols:
“In
the spring, I asked the daisies
If his words were true,
And the clever, clear-eyed daisies
Always knew.
Now
the fields are brown and barren,
Bitter autumn blows,
And of all the stupid asters
Not one knows.”
In
the above lines, “spring” and “daisies” are symbols of youth. “Brown and
barren” are symbols oftransition from
youth to old age. Moreover, “Bitter autumn” symbolizes death.
Function
of Symbolism
Symbolism
gives a writer freedom to add double levels of meanings to his work: a literal
one that is self-evident and the symbolic one whose meaning is far more
profound than the literal one. The symbolism, therefore, gives universality to
the characters and the themes of a piece of literature. Symbolism in literature
evokes interest in readers as they find an opportunity to get an insight of the
writer’s mind on how he views the world and how he thinks of common objects and
actions, having broader implications.
CONCLUSION
