Metaphor

Metaphors are used to help us understand the unknown, because we use what we know in comparison with something we don't know to get a better understanding. Metaphors are a figure of speech explaining or referring to something in a brief but effective way. Metaphors are used in poetry to explain and express emotions, feelings, relationships other elements that could not be described in ordinary language.

A way to understand a metaphor is to view a metaphor as a simile without the word "like". A simile compares two things in a clear fashion examples of a simile "She is as pretty as a flower","brave like a beast","bright like a star ". A simile is describing what we know with what we don't know. A metaphor is a comparison of two unlike things.

In studying metaphor I will use the poem "Joy"

"first blade of grass,
the messenger of spring."

In the last two lines of the poem it states a metaphor which is a comparison. It is a shortcut to the meaning. It sets two unlike things side by side and makes us see the likeness between them. The poem shows a relationship between a messenger and nature. We know that a messenger is someone who uses communication transmitted by words and signals to get the message across. So the first blade of grass is a message to us that the spring is coming.

Another metaphor is found in the poem "play"

"Touch them with your finger tip -
but there's the barrier of glass.
You know that if you wanted
to become involved
you should be on
the other side."

In this poem the central metaphor is the "barrier of glass" The poet is describing the glass as a barrier when in reality to a human glass isn't a barrier we can break a glass or go through the door. In this poem though the glass is a barrier to this child.

Another metaphor is found in the poem "treasures" "Shyly, the child
raised the lid
of the battered box
to reveal
a small feather,
a stone and a piece
of ruby glass."

In this poem the metaphor presented is treasure and what this child considers a treasure. A treasure is a quantity of precious metals, gems, or other valuable objects. To this child a small feather,a stone and piece of ruby glass has value to it.

Another metaphor is found in the poem "Creativity"

"On the wall,
there is a shadow
of a branch outside.
It moves and it is dancing.
It writes its story
and the ink
is living light."

In this poem the metaphor or personification presented is "on the wall,there is a shadow of a branch outside It moves and it is dancing." In reality we know branches don't dance,humans do but the poet wants to give the reader a brief description of the action that the branch is doing. Another metaphor example in this poem is "It writes its story and the ink is living light." Using what we know like branches don't have ink and write but we know that branches move just like a pen moves while we write and that is the "living light". In this picture of an elephant there are five blind men surrounded by the elephant by touching the elephant they are using similes to describe the elephant for example one man is touching the elephants tail and he says "An elephant is like a disconnected phone line". Using what we know a disconnected phone line is a wire without being connected.To the blind man touching the elephants tale felt like a wire without connection.

Personification is a figure of speech that is provided with human qualities or are represented as possessing human forms In other words, giving something a human-like quality or ability to something that is not human. The poem "My Town" shows many personifications.

"The leaves on the ground danced in the wind
The brook sang merrily as it went on its way.
The fence posts gossiped and watched cars go by
which winked at each other just to say hi.
The traffic lights yelled,Stop, slow, go!
The tires gripped the road as if clinging to life.
Stars in the sky blinked and winked out
While the hail was as sharp as a knife".

In the first line a personification is presented "The leaves on the ground danced in the wind" the poet is describing the action of the leaf with a ability of a human which is dancing.In the second line it says "The brook sang merrily as it went on its way" a brook is a small stream the poet is describing the action of the brook with a human quality which is singing because of the way the water flows just how when someone sings.In the third line "The fence posts gossiped and watched cars go by which winked at each other to say hi". Humans stand around and gossip and watch cars go by the poet is giving the the fence posts qualities of a human standing around gossiping.Another human quality is winking the poet is comparing this with a car and how cars flash there lights to show there going.In the fourth stanza "The traffic lights yelled,stop,slow, go!" The poet is the traffic light human qualities we know traffic lights change colors from green,yellow to red to indicate to go,slow,and stop. In the fifth stanza it says "The tires gripped the road as if clinging to life". The poet is trying to explain how the tires have a firm hold of the road he compared it with how humans remain close to life.

In the fable "The bundle of sticks"

"My sons if you are of one mind,
and unite to assist each other,
you will be as this bundle,
uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies;
but if you are divided among yourselves,
you will be broken as easily as these sticks."

In this fable the writer is trying to say that these brothers need each other and should be more united the writer compared how there unity should be with a bundle of sticks. he says "uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks." What the writer is trying to say is a enemy wont really hurt us but if they separate us from one another they will be broken like sticks.The moral of the fable is union gives strength and he presented this by giving the readers metaphors to understand the unknown.

In Emily Dickinson's poems he uses metaphor. For example one of the poems is called "THE BOOK" "There is no frigate like a book To take us lands away." The simile presented is that the book has the same action as a frigate,it take us from land to land. A frigate is a boat and hes comparing a book with a frigate because in a book we begin somewhere and we end somewhere else different events occur.Another poem from Dickinson is "The Stone." it said "How happy is the little stone That rambles in the road alone, And doesn't care about careers,"There no way that a stone can be happy, but a person can be happy. This is a personification.

The poem by E.E. Cummings presents a metaphor he compares loneliness with the falling of a leaf and also demonstrates the experience by separating the letters down the page. I can also see how the poem forms the number 1 which demonstrates the loneliness of he leaf.

metaphors for life In life a lot of things can be compared with metaphors. I can say my life is a battle everyday and I may win or lose but regardless I need to continue running. My life is a roller coaster life consists of ups and downs, and we are along for the ride. And there are time when we feel trapped as if we were in prison Feeling like we don't have choices,like others have all the power. And I wonder why life isn't a courtroom everything in life should be fair. But overall I've learned that life is a classroom there are always new lessons to learn.

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© Jessica 2011