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Metaphor is pervasive and universal in everyday life, not only in language but also in thought and action; our ordinary conceptual system, in terms of...
The metaphor essay
Conceptual metaphor theory
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Metaphor is comparing two ideas to get a clear understanding. A metaphor tells a story by making a connection to two different objects with a similarity between them, the only difference, like Orson Scott Card said, is that metaphors can tell this story in a simple sentence. While metaphors are no more than an abstract play on words, they create an interpretation of the meaning of their statement. Metaphors have become so common in everyday language that they are sometimes difficult to spot. “Life is a journey.” Typically, we don’t give this statement much thought. This sentence doesn’t seem to be like a metaphor, but it is. Life can be defined as “the existence of an individual human being or animal.” Journey on the other hand is defined
as “an act of traveling from one place to another.” The definitions conclude that literally life cannot be described as a journey. What a metaphor does is connect the two in an imaginative way in which, after giving it some though, can lead to a reasonable explanation. So, while life is existing, the way you go about it, and the successes or failures you encounter, can lead you to the next phase of your life making the relation that life has to a journey. Obviously, me being only at the age of 13, cannot say I have exactly live life to the fullest, I can say that the actions I take, lead to a new path for me, creating a whole new journey for me.
The first literary device is a simile and it paints a picture in the readers head.
Figurative language is used in a lot of writings to pull you more into the words. Figurative language uses the five senses to place a deep picture in your mind of what is actually happening. Metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole, etc. are all figurative devices used in writing. Without using any of these things writing would be straight forward and not so complicated to understand. When figurative language is used it makes the reader really think about what is being said by the author and what point the author is trying to make. Both "The Iroquois Constitution” and "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” use figurative language but for different reasons.
Everyone has a different view on life. One's perception can significantly impact the way that he/she views the rest of the world. This perception can be both positive and negative. Perception often plays a big role in determining how one is viewed by both themselves and others. People are often judged by their appearance and their actions. However, it is things such as their personality and their character that truly define them as individuals. In Budge Wilson's "The Metaphor," Miss Hancock is faced with the fact that other individuals often overlook her. Though others may not be aware of what they are doing, their actions can greatly impact another individual throughout their lifetime. The way that one is perceived can both positively and negatively affect the way that others view them as an individual, which can greatly affect their entire life.
Throughout the story Kurt Vonnegut uses figurative language in order to explain the extensive thought or pain George is going through. Time to Time bergeron’s “mental handicap” buzzes in his ear “ A buzzer sounded in George's head. His thoughts fled in panic, like bandits from a burglar alarm” (6) this smilie explains how whenever George’s get his mind starts to think more “intelligently” than everyone else the alarm goes off breaking his train of thought until his mind goes blank again. Also Kurt Vonnegut uses figurative language to explain the different sounds and noises george hears “ Sounded like somebody hitting a milk bottle with a ball peen hammer”. To describe Harrison he uses a similes to explain the sheer power of harrison “Harrison
Metaphors are powerful tools often used by authors to communicate a deeper meaning. Metaphors also tend to make the piece more thought provoking, and thus more interesting and intriguing. Laura Esquivel does a marvelous job of using food as a metaphor for unexpressed emotions in the novel Like Water for Chocolate. She takes the aching soul of a young girl and turns it into a cookbook of feelings and emotions cleverly disguised with food.
In the book, the author has used several metaphors to make the book to be more interesting for the readers of the book. Additionally, the author of the book has used metaphors to bring about some of the meanings in the story. This has made it easy for the readers to be able to understand what they are reading. In conjunction to this, the author has used the metaphors to bring out the character traits of some characters like Janie and Joe in the book. Therefore, it is through metaphors that the book has been very interesting and easy to understand.
... A metaphor, used as a communication skill, is best described in a political way. Think of Reagan’s Voodoo economics, or Bill Clinton building a bridge to the 21st century. Politicians can easily scam an ignorant voter, should one not understand a metaphor. For example: Clinton refers to building a bridge, but does not tell us with which tools he intends to build it with. This particular concept is valid alone for the above reason. Whether you are talking to a teacher or watching television, metaphors need to understand.
That journey means that every day is a new change or a new transformation of who she is, and where she is going. She also highlights the idea throughout the text that the journey is one that everyone must take in order to discover themselves. Thus, the essay or story is about self discovery at its most basic. Understanding this allows the reader to see the importance of curiosity, of asking questions, and of heading into the unknown without questioning the journey
Writers often use symbolism in the story to give a more vivid description rather than just saying, pictures are a perfect example. Symbolism is the art of using any object, place, name or anything that represents something rather
1) People with Autism and Aspergers often behave in an “eccentric” way. When Christopher first sees Wellington’s dead body, he stroked it and wondered who had killed him. Someone who isn’t on the spectrum would have reacted differently, most likely panicking and attempting to get help. Like most Autistics and Aspergians (people with Aspergers), Christopher has a narrow field of interests which he excels at. His knowledge of prime numbers surpasses those of most people who don’t have the condition. Patients with Autism and Aspergers are sometimes unable to distinguish the emotions someone might be feeling, even if the look is clearly conveyed on their face. Christopher writes, “I got Siobhan to draw lots of these faces and then write down next to them exactly what they meant…and took it [piece of paper with faces] out when I didn’t understand what someone was saying” (Haddon, 3). If he wasn’t considered to be on the autism spectrum, he wouldn’t need the paper with the faces to discern what someone was feeling.
A symbol in literature is an object that stands for a word, cause, belief, or another object. A metaphor is a figure of speech where a word of phrase is applied to something but it should not be taken literally. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, the mockingbird symbolizes innocence. The mockingbird is innocent, singing for people to hear its music. In the book Atticus says to Scout, “Remember it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.” When Scout asked Miss Maudie about it, Miss Maudie tells her, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy… but they sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Killing something so innocent would be a sin because it had never done anything to hurt you.
In the book Metaphors We Live By, authors George Lakoff and Mark Johnson address the traditional philosophic view denouncing metaphor's influence on our world and our selves (ix). Using linguistic and sociological evidence, Lakoff and Johnson claim that figurative language performs essential functions beyond those found in poetry, cliché, and elaborate turns of phrase. Metaphor permeates our daily experiences - not only through systems of language, but also in terms of the way we think and act. The key to understanding a metaphor's effect on behavior, relationships, and how we make sense of our environment, can be found in the way humans use metaphorical language. To appreciate the affects of figurative language over even the most mundane details of our daily activity, it is necessary to define the term, "metaphor" and explain its role in defining the thoughts and actions that structure our conceptual system.
I recently read the book Metaphors We Live By written by Lakoff and Johnson. I had always thought that metaphors, when used to illustrate logical, objective arguments, poetical flourishes, the icing on the cake, the supporting cast but never the star. I'm now convinced otherwise.
Metaphors are not only a powerful way of allowing people to visualize a message that a person is trying to convey, but they are also a creative way of putting things that we see or think about every day into a new light. Speaking metaphorically isn't always very effortless and it certainly isn't easy for the listener to make the connection between what you are describing symbolically and what you are actually saying. Many writers use metaphors because they are a unique and creative way to express common ideas and they can also be very fun. Metaphors can be positive or negative depending upon which way the author would like to go.
Decisions separate one’s life from another. Robert Frost proves this to be true in his poem “The Road Not Taken.” The metaphorical twist Frost uses in his words and sentence structure emphasizes the importance of different decisions and how those choices will impact the rest of one’s life.