Metaphor All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players They have

their exits and their entrances William Shakespeare A metaphor is a figure of speech that says that one thing is another different thing. This allows us to use fewer words and forces the reader or listener to find the similarities. The word metaphor comes from the Greek word metapherin (meaning "transfer"). The simplest form of metaphor is: "The [first thing] is a [second thing]." Look at this example: Her home was a prison.

In the above sentence, we understand immediately that her home had some of the characteristics of a prison. Mainly, we imagine, she could not leave her home. She was trapped inside. Why it was a prison we do not know, but that would be clear from the context--perhaps her husband forced her to stay at home, perhaps she was afraid of the outside. We don't know, but the rest of the story would tell us. What is important here is that in five simple words we understand a lot about her environment, how she felt and how she behaved. In this sentence, "prison" is a metaphor. Look at another example: George is a sheep.

What is one characteristic of sheep? They follow each other. So we can imagine that George is a follower, not a leader. In this sentence "sheep" is a metaphor. Metaphors are very common in everyday language. But poets also like to use metaphors. In the following famous verse (from The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes), can you spot three metaphors in the first three lines? The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees, The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, And the highwayman came riding-Riding--riding-The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door. Look at these examples of metaphors with sample sentences and meanings: Metaphor example I'm not an angel, but I wouldn't behave like that. America is a melting pot. John is a real pig when he eats. My father is a rock. How could she marry a snake like that! The policeman let him off Metaphorical sense exemplary person place where different peoples, styles and cultures are mixed together greedy person very strong or reliable person traitor warning Original sense a spiritual being believed to be a messenger of God a container in which metals or other materials are melted and mixed a four-legged animal kept for meat (pork) a hard, mineral material made of stone a long, limbless reptile (eg: cobra, python, viper) (in soccer) a yellow card that the referee

with a yellow card.

shows to players when cautioning them

All the above metaphors (the simplest form) are nouns. But there are other ways of making metaphors, for example with verbs or adjectives. Here are some examples: Metaphor example The committee shot her ideas down one by one. The private detective dug up enough evidence to convince the police to act. He broke into her conversation. The new movie was very popular. People flocked to see it. His head was spinning with ideas. Reading that book kindled my interest in politics. Original sense of the word (example) Anti-aircraft guns shoot down planes. Dogs like to bury bones and dig them up later. Burglars break into buildings. Birds flock together before they migrate. Some computer hard drives spin at over 10,000 revolutions per minute. You need to start with twigs and small branches when you kindle a camp fire.

Tim lost his job after a heated argument with his boss. We have a heated swimming pool. The new car's sexy design increased sales for the company. It wasn't long before their relationship turned sour. Some women think that lipstick makes them look sexy.

He was dressed rather vulgarly in a loud checked suit. I can't hear you because the radio is too loud. Sour food has an acid taste like lemon or vinegar.

Difference Between Metaphor and Simile Both similes and metaphors link one thing to another. A simile usually uses "as" or "like". A metaphor is a condensed simile, a shortcut to meaning, which omits "as" or "like." A metaphor creates a relationship directly and leaves more to the imagination. With simile A is like B. With metaphor A is B. simile He eats like a pig. He lives like a pig. metaphor

Your eyes are like the sun. You are my sunshine. He is a pig.

Dead Metaphors In the phrase "to grasp the concept" the physical action "to grasp" is used as a metaphor for "to understand" (which is non-physical). But this phrase has been used so often that most English speakers do not have an image of the physical action in their mind. This metaphor has died; it is a "dead metaphor". Mixed Metaphors The awkward use of two or more different metaphors at the same time is normally best avoided. It creates conflicting images in the reader or listener's mind, reduces each metaphor's impact, and generally causes confusion. Look at this example: America is a melting pot where new ideas are kindled.

Metaphor: Situation vs. the Real Thing You may have often heard expressions such as he drowned in a sea of grief or she is fishing in troubled waters, or success is a bastard as it has many fathers, and failure is an orphan, with no takers. All these expressions have one thing in common: a situation is compared to a real thing, although the situation is not actually that particular thing. Sea of grief - How and where does one come across a sea that is filled not with water, but with grief? Fishing - It is not used to mean that the person is actually fishing; it is an expression which is used to signify that the person is looking for something that is difficult to obtain. Success is a sense of achievement, it is not an illegitimate child! - The saying is used to reinforce the age-old belief that everyone wants to take credit for something that became a success, either by fluke or by conscious effort. On the other hand, no matter how much effort or creativity may have gone into an enterprise, the moment it is considered a failure, no one wants to take responsibility for it, much like an abandoned infant. Broken heart - Your heart is not literally broken into pieces; you just feel hurt and sad. The light of my life - The person described by this metaphor isn't really providing physical light. He or she is just someone who brings happiness or joy. It's raining men - Men do not literally pour from the sky; there are simply an abundance of male suitors around at the time. Time is a thief - Time isn't really stealing anything, this metaphor just indicates that time passes quickly and our lives pass us by. He is the apple of my eye - There is, of course, no real apple in a person's eye. The "apple" is someone beloved and held dear. Bubby personality - A bubbly personality doesn't mean a person is bubbling over with anything, just that the person is cheerful. Feel blue - No one actually ever feels like the color blue, although many people say they are "feeling blue" to mean they are feeling sad. Fade off to sleep - You don't actually fade, you simply go to sleep. Inflamed your temper - The news inflamed your temper is not a situation where there is any actual fire or flames, it is just a situation where someone gets mad. Reeks of infidelty - When said about a cheating partner, this doesn't actually mean that there is a literal smell. Instead, it is just apparent that the person is cheating. Rollercoaster of emotions - A rollercoaster of emotions doesn't exist anywhere, so when people are on a rollercoaster of emotions, they are simply experiencing lots of ups and downs. Stench of failure - The stench of failure is strong, according to the common metaphor, but of course failing doesn't really smell.

All of these expressions are examples of metaphors. They are juxtaposing an actual (literal) thing and a figurative thing in order to give more meaning to the figurative concept. To use the above examples, the literal expression in the phrase is sea, while grief is the figurative item. Purpose of Metaphors Expressions are used to give effect to a statement. Imagine how bland a statement such as he was sad is, compared to a statement describing a sea of grief. The metaphor is sure to give the reader a better idea of the depths of grief in this situation. Similarly, who would really spend time thinking of the vast differences between success and failure if the metaphor was missing, and the statement was just Everyone wants to be successful, no one wants to be a failure? That statement would be a failure itself, in inspiring interest in the conversation! Metaphors are meant to create an impact in the minds of readers.

Methaphors A metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things not using the word like or as to make the comparison. The greater the difference between the two things being compared, the better the metaphor. For example, if one were to say that Football is baseball, that would not be a good metaphor, because football and baseball are both sports. However, if one were to say that football is chess, that would generally be considered a better metaphor because there is a greater difference between football and chess than football and baseball. Here are fifty metaphors: Metaphor Examples 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. The detective listened to her tales with a wooden face. She was fairly certain that life was a fashion show. The typical teenage boys room is a disaster area. The children were roses grown in concrete gardens, beautiful and forlorn. That woman is the cancer of my dreams and aspirations. Kisses are the flowers of love in bloom. His cotton candy words did not appeal to her taste. Kathy arrived at the grocery store with an army of children. Waves of spam emails inundated his inbox.

10. Her eyes were fireflies. 11. He wanted to set sail on the ocean of love but he just wasted away in the desert. 12. I was lost in a sea of nameless faces. 13. Johns answer to the problem was just a Band-Aid, not a solution. 14. The cast on Michaels broken leg was a plaster shackle. 15. In capitalism, money is the life blood of society and charity is the soul. 16. Cameron always had a taste for the fruit of knowledge. 17. The promise between us was a delicate flower. 18. He pleaded for her forgiveness but Janets heart was cold iron. 19. The job fair was a circus and John was a dancing bear. 20. She was just a trophy to Ricardo, another object to possess. 21. The path of resentment is easier to travel than the road to forgiveness. 22. When H-Money got on to stage, the girls went into a feeding frenzy. 23. The child was our lone prayer to an empty sky. 24. Katies plan to get into college was a house of cards on a crooked table. 25. The wheels of justice turn slowly.

26. Laugh a drink from the deep blue cup of sky. 27. The job interview was a rope ladder dropped from heaven. 28. Her hair was a flowing golden river streaming down her shoulders. 29. The computer in the classroom was an old dinosaur. 30. Laughter is the music of the soul. 31. David is a worm for what he did to Shelia. 32. The teacher planted the seeds of wisdom. 33. That burden is my cross to bear. 34. Each blade of grass was a tiny bayonet pointed firmly at our bare feet. 35. The daggers of heat pierced through his black t-shirt. 36. In the ring Emilio was berserk pit bull hungry for blood. 37. The world is bowl a Jell-O. 38. And he was the word of God if God ever spoke. 39. Let your eyes drink up that milkshake sky. 40. Her hope was a fragile seed. 41. When Ninja Robots came on TV, the boys were glued in their seats. 42. Words are the weapons with which we wound. 43. The test was a walk in the park. 44. She let such beautiful pearls of wisdom slip from her mouth without even knowing. 45. The executives had golden parachutes to land safely after the company crashed. 46. Dont trouble your little peanut head over the problem. 47. She cut him down with her words. 48. They say that scars are the roadmap to the soul. 49. The quarterback was throwing nothing but rockets and bombs in the field. 50. We are all shadows on the wall of time.