Adding Depth with Metaphors

From https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/teacher_and_tutor_resources/writing_tutors/tutoring_creative_writing_students/metaphors_in_creative_writing.html:

What is a metaphor?

The term metaphor meant in Greek “carry something across” or “transfer,” which suggests many of the more elaborate definitions below:

Metaphor Table
Definition	Origin
A comparison between two things, based on resemblance or similarity, without using “like” or “as”	most dictionaries and textbooks
The act of giving a thing a name that belongs to something else	Aristotle
The transferring of things and words from their proper signification to an improper similitude for the sake of beauty, necessity, polish, or emphasis	Diomedes
A device for seeing something in terms of something else	Kenneth Burke
Understanding and experiencing one thing in terms of another	John Searle
A simile contracted to its smallest dimensions	Joseph Priestly

Why use metaphors?

• They enliven ordinary language. People get so accustomed to using the same words and phrases over and over, and always in the same ways, that they no longer know what they mean. Creative writers have the power to make the ordinary strange and the strange ordinary, making life interesting again.
• They are generous to readers and listeners; they encourage interpretation. When readers or listeners encounter a phrase or word that cannot be interpreted literally, they have to think—or rather, they are given the pleasure of interpretation. If you write “I am frustrated” or “The air was cold” you give your readers nothing to do—they say “so what?” On the other hand, if you say, “My ambition was Hiroshima, after the bombing,” your readers can think about and choose from many possible meanings.
• They are more efficient and economical than ordinary language; they give maximum meaning with a minimum of words. By writing “my dorm is a prison,” you suggest to your readers that you feel as though you were placed in solitary, you are fed lousy food, you are deprived of all of life’s great pleasures, your room is poorly lit and cramped—and a hundred other things, that, if you tried to say them all, would probably take several pages.
• They create new meanings; they allow you to write about feelings, thoughts, things, experiences, etc., for which there are no easy words; they are necessary. There are many gaps in language. When a child looks at the sky and sees a star but does not know the word “star,” she is forced to say, “Mommy, look at the lamp in the sky!” Similarly, when computer software developers created boxes on the screen as a user interface, they needed a new language; the result was windows. In your poems, you will often be trying to write about subjects, feelings, etc., so complex that you have no choice but to use metaphors.
• They are a sign of genius. Or so says Aristotle in Poetics: “[T]he greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor.” It is “a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity in dissimilars.”

Creative ways to use metaphors

Most books give rather boring examples of metaphors such as my father is a bear or the librarian was a beast. However, in your poetry (and fiction for that matter) you can do much more than say X is Y, like an algebraic formula. Definitely play with extended metaphors (see above) and experiment with some of the following, using metaphors…

Uses of Metaphors
as verbs	The news that ignited his face snuffed out her smile.
as adjectives and adverbs	Her carnivorous pencil carved up Susan’s devotion.
as prepositional phrases	The doctor inspected the rash with a vulture’s eye.
as appositives or modifiers	On the sidewalk was yesterday’s paper, an ink-stained sponge.

Examples

Metaphor Table
Scratching at the window with claws of pine, the wind wants in.	Imogene Bolls, “Coyote Wind”
What a thrill—my thumb instead of an onion. The top quite gone except for a sort of hinge of skin….A celebration this is. Out of a gap a million soldiers run, redcoats every one.	Sylvia Plath, “Cut”
The clouds were low and hairy in the skies, like locks blown forward in the gleam of eyes.	Robert Frost, “Once by the Pacific”
Little boys lie still, awake wondering, wondering delicate little boxes of dust.	James Wright, “The Undermining of the Defense Economy”

From https://smartblogger.com/metaphor-examples/:

Aristotle once wrote, “to be a master of metaphor is a sign of genius.”

And the best way to master the metaphor? Devour lots of good metaphor examples!

So, we’ve compiled a giant list of metaphors from content marketing, literature, famous speeches, and pop culture to give you a go-to resource. You’ll also learn:

• How metaphors and figurative language are related;
• The differences between metaphors and similes, analogies, and hyperbole;
• What are the six common types of metaphors;
• Tips for effectively using metaphors in your own writing.

In short, by the time you finish this post, you’ll be a certified metaphor genius.

But before we get to all that, let’s answer the questions people ask most often about metaphors. We’ll start with a metaphor definition…

What is a Metaphor?

A metaphor (from the Latin metaphora) takes an object or action and compares it to something blindingly familiar, but completed unrelated.

The comparison in a metaphor is always non-literal, which makes it weirdly illogical. And yet, its meaning is (usually) abundantly clear.

For example:

“Love is a fruit in season at all times and in reach of every hand.” — Mother Teresa

Love is not a fruit; however, the meaning of the comparison is easily understood.

Here’s another example:

“She was the black sheep of the family.”

Illogical, right? But you get the meaning right away.

Okay, so that’s the definition of metaphor…

What is Figurative Language?

Figurative language is a technique that supercharges your reader’s imagination by taking a flat (or factual) statement and injecting it with life, color, or humor to make it more interesting.

It allows you to paint vivid pictures, punch home your meaning, and be more persuasive as a writer.

A metaphor is one of several figure-of-speech devices that uses figurative language.

Here’s an example:

“The first rays of sunshine gently stroked my face.”

We all know sunshine can’t literally stroke your face, but we can all relate to the sensation. The figurative language makes it more vibrant than something like, “the first rays of sunshine woke me up.”

This type of figurative language is known as “personification,” which uses human qualities (stroking) to better illustrate a non-human action or thing (the sunshine). It’s a technique often found in metaphors.

There are several other figures of speech that use figurative language, including similes, analogies, metonymy, and hyperbole — which are often confused with metaphors.

So, let’s clear that up for you…

What’s the Difference Between Metaphors and Similes, Analogies, or Hyperbole?

Similes

Simile Definition: A simile is the metaphor’s first cousin. Where a metaphor states that something is something else, a simile compares two different things by using “like” or “as.”

Example of Simile: “Elderly American ladies leaning on their canes listed toward me like towers of Pisa.” — from ‘Lolita’ by Vladimir Nabokov

Difference Between Similes and Metaphors: A simile directly compares two things using “like” or “as” (“he was mad as hell”), while a metaphor implicitly states a comparison, without intending it to be taken literally (“he was boiling mad”).

To the latter example: Obviously, he wasn’t boiling, or he’d be dead. But were he a kettle, his lid would be rattling and steam would be coming from his ears. That’s how mad he’d be!

Analogies

Analogy Definition: An analogy is a turbo-powered simile. While a simile compares two different things, an analogy explains the similarities or relationships between two different things.

Example of Analogy: “Longbottom, if brains were gold, you’d be poorer than Weasley, and that’s saying something.” — from ‘Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone’ by J.K. Rowling

Difference Between Analogies and Metaphors: While a metaphor uses words or phrases to represent an idea, an analogy uses narrative or comparisons to explain the idea.

Hyperbole

Hyperbole Definition: Hyperbole is an exaggeration that is not intended to be taken literally. It’s most commonly used for emphasis, humor, or drama.

Example of Hyperbole: “I was helpless. I did not know what in the world to do. I was quaking from head to foot, and could have hung my hat on my eyes, they stuck out so far.” — from “Old Times on the Mississippi” by Mark Twain

Difference Between Hyperbole and Metaphors: There is a gray area between the two and it’s often debated. But here are the facts: Hyperbole always uses exaggeration, whereas metaphors sometimes do.

If a metaphor is clearly an exaggeration, it can be described as a hyperbolic metaphor. An example would be, “cry me a river.” Obviously, no one can possibly shed that many tears. On the other hand, “your suitcase weighs a ton” is hyperbole (not a metaphor).

What are The Different Types of Metaphors?

1. Common Metaphors (aka Direct Metaphors, Primary Metaphors, or Conventional Metaphors)
2. Implied Metaphors
3. Extended Metaphors (aka Sustained Metaphors)
4. Dead Metaphors
5. Mixed Metaphors
6. Sensory Metaphors

Google “types of metaphors” and you’ll get hundreds of blog posts and scholarly articles with lists of metaphors ranging from 3 to 20+ different types.

Our take?

Focus on the 6 most common types of metaphors:

1. Common Metaphors (aka Direct Metaphors, Primary Metaphors, or Conventional Metaphors)

These are the easiest-to-spot metaphors.

Common metaphors are comparisons where the link can be easily made and directly understood. Example sentence:

“He was a fish out of water at his new school.”

We know immediately what the writer means, even though it’s illogical to compare a school student to a fish.

Vincent Van Gogh’s “conscience is a man’s compass” is another example. Illogical, but we understand the meaning.

Other examples of common metaphors are “night owl”, “cold feet”, “beat a dead horse”, “early bird”, “couch potato”, “eyes were fireflies”, “apple of my eye”, “heart of stone”, “heart of a lion”, “roller coaster of emotions”, and “heart of gold.”

2. Implied Metaphors

Implied metaphors force you to use your imagination. This kind of metaphor doesn’t make a direct comparison, which is easy to spot. Instead, it implies it.

“She was a dog with a bone” is a common metaphor. The dog-like comparison is stated.

“She tucked her tail between her legs and rang away,” on the other hand, is an implied metaphor — the comparison to a dog is implied, but not stated outright.

3. Extended Metaphors (aka Sustained Metaphors)

Extended metaphors can be direct or implied, but create a greater emphasis with the comparison they’re making thanks to their extended length. They can continue for several sentences, several paragraphs, or even longer. (For example, George Orwell’s novella Animal Farm is considered by many to be an extended metaphor.)

Extended metaphors are often used in poetry and literature where the author wants to convey more passion and commitment to a concept.

Here’s an example from “I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou:

But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage

Can seldom see through his bars of rage

His wings are clipped and his feet are tied

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill

And his tune is heard on the distant hill for

The caged bird sings of freedom.

And here’s an extended metaphor from “Hope is the Thing With Feathers” by Emily Dickinson:

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all.

4. Dead Metaphors

Dead metaphors are figures of speech that have been around so long or have been so overused, they have lost their effectiveness.

Phrases like “it’s raining cats and dogs”, “melting pot”, and “you are the light of my life” have morphed from metaphors into trite banalities and should be avoided.

5. Mixed Metaphors

Mixed metaphors are when two or more inconsistent metaphors get jumbled together — often with humorous consequences.

If it’s used intentionally, a mixed metaphor can be an effective communication technique. But in the wrong hands, a mixed metaphor can become a jumbled mess.

Former British soccer manager, Stuart Pearce, gave us this gem:

“I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel.”

6. Sensory Metaphors

Sensory metaphors use figurative language to appeal to our senses — sight, sound (example: onomatopoeia), smell, taste, or touch. As such, they’re immediately familiar and evocative.

Examples:

• “His voice was silky smooth.”
• “Her smile lit up the room.”

Examples of Metaphors in Literature

Metaphors in literature have been around for centuries.

They have cemented glorious stories and ideas into our minds. They have made the words on the page come alive and frolic through our imagination.

Let’s start with the king of literary terms and metaphors:

9.

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 / His act being seven ages.
from ‘As You Like It’

Hands up who doesn’t know these famous lines by William Shakespeare?

You’ll find them in every post and article about metaphors, literary devices, or figurative language, because it’s a classic extended metaphor example that’s hard to beat.

Here’s another one:

10.

But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? / It is the East and Juliet is the sun! / Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon / Who is already sick and pale with grief / That thou her maid art far more fair than she.
from ‘Romeo and Juliet’

“Romeo and Juliet” is chock full of love metaphors. Nothing less than the fair sun and envious moon could express the depth of Romeo’s emotional state at that moment. Imagine if he had been factual and said, “What light through yonder window breaks? Oh look, it’s Juliet heading for the bathroom”.

Shakespeare’s magnificent metaphors have wormed their way into our modern language and today we can recite them without a second thought.

Like these examples:

11. “A horse, a horse. My kingdom for a horse!” — from Richard III
12. “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” — from Sonnet 18
13. “Parting is such sweet sorrow…” — from Romeo and Juliet
14. “All that glitters is not gold…” — from The Merchant of Venice
15. “Why, then, the world’s mine oyster…” — from The Merry Wives of Windsor

I bet you didn’t know that last one was by Shakespeare.

Metaphors are also used throughout the Bible:

16.

I am the good shepherd … and I lay down My life for the sheep.
John 10:14

In fact, the Bible is a hotbed of metaphors, similes, and other types of figurative language:

17. “I am the way, the truth and the life.” — John 14:6
18. “You are the Father, we are the clay and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand.” — Isaiah 64:8
19. “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” — John 6:35

We can find great metaphor examples in recent works of literature too:

20.

Memories are bullets. Some whiz by and only spook you. Others tear you open and leave you in pieces.
from ‘Kill the Dead’ by Richard Kadrey

That’s a formidable metaphor. This one’s a little sweeter:

21.

You’re a marshmallow. Soft and sweet and when you get heated up you go all gooey and delicious.
from ‘One for the Money’ by Janet Evanovich

And this one pulls no punches:

22.

The parents looked upon Matilda in particular as nothing more than a scab. A scab is something you have to put up with until the time comes when you pick it off and flick it away.
from ‘Matilda’ by Roald Dahl

Ouch! Poor Matilda.

Or how about metaphors in poetry? Here’s an extract from a poem written when the author thought she might be pregnant:

23.

This loaf’s big with its yeasty rising / Money’s new-minted in this fat purse / I’m a means, a stage, a cow in calf / I’ve eaten a bag of green apples / Boarded the train there’s no getting off.
from ‘Metaphors’ by Sylvia Plath

Yikes! Can’t you feel Sylvia’s swollen discomfort? Perhaps it was just as well she turned out not to be pregnant after all.

One more:

24.

Our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind.
from ‘Sand & Foam’ by Khalil Gibran

This one sentence manages to fit in two different comparisons, words/crumbs and feast/mind. Impressive.

Metaphor Examples from Famous Speeches

Famous metaphors are found in great speeches throughout history.

Notable statesmen and leaders know they need to capture the hearts and minds of their audience and nothing does that better than a slam dunk metaphor. Like these:

25.

Hitler knows that he will have to break us in these islands or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be freed, and the life for the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands.
Winston Churchill’s ‘Finest Hour’ speech in June 1940

26.

America has tossed its cap over the wall of space.
John F. Kennedy at the Dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center in San Antonio, Texas, in 1963

27.

In the dark days and darker nights when England stood alone — and most men save Englishmen despaired of England’s life — he mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.
JFK referring to Winston Churchill

28.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream Speech’ in 1963

29.

With this pledge taken, I assume unhesitatingly the leadership of this great army of our people dedicated to a disciplined attack upon our common problems.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Inaugural Address in 1933

7. Avoid the Cliches and Don’t Overdo Your Metaphor Quota

Finally, here are a few what not to-dos:

• Don’t overuse metaphors. Opt for simple metaphors (or sprinkle a few well-placed metaphors for the sake of clarity or persuasion). Too many will weigh your post down and start to sound messy.
• Don’t force metaphors into your writing. It’s like overusing adjectives or flowery words. Readers will spot them a mile away.
• Avoid the overly obvious or dead metaphors. They tend to be clichéd and have lost their ability to conjure up a visual image. Examples are “going belly up,” “kicking the bucket,” and “you light up my life.”

From https://www.thoughtco.com/metaphors-and-similes-part-2-1692781:

Be alert to the ways in which other writers use similes and metaphors in their work. Then, as you revise your own paragraphs and essays, see if you can make your descriptions more vivid and your ideas clearer by creating original similes and metaphors.

Practice Using Similes and Metaphors

Here’s an exercise that will give you some practice in creating figurative comparisons. For each of the statements below, make up a simile or a metaphor that helps to explain each statement and make it more vivid. If several ideas come to you, jot them all down. When you’re done, compare your response to the first sentence with the sample comparisons at the end of the exercise.

1. George has been working at the same automobile factory six days a week, ten hours a day, for the past twelve years.
   (Use a simile or a metaphor to show how worn out George was feeling.)
2. Katie had been working all day in the summer sun.
   (Use a simile or a metaphor to show how hot and tired Katie was feeling.)
3. This is Kim Su’s first day at college, and she is in the middle of a chaotic morning registration session.
   (Use a simile or a metaphor to show either how confused Kim feels or how chaotic the entire session is.)
4. Victor spent his entire summer vacation watching quiz shows and soap operas on television.
   (Use a simile or a metaphor to describe the state of Victor’s mind by the end of his vacation.)
5. After all the troubles of the past few weeks, Sandy felt peaceful at last.
   (Use a simile or a metaphor to describe how peaceful or relieved Sandy was feeling.)

Sample Responses to Sentence #1

• a. George felt as worn out as the elbows on his work shirt.
• b. George felt as worn out as his deeply scuffed work boots.
• c. George felt worn out, like an old punching bag in a neighbor’s garage.
• d. George felt as worn out as the rusted Impala that carried him to work every day.
• e. George felt as worn out as an old joke that was never very funny in the first place.
• f. George felt worn out and useless–just another broken fan belt, a burst radiator hose, a stripped wing nut, a discharged battery.