Metaphors

What is a metaphor?
● A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it
is not literally applicable.
● A collision between ideas that don’t belong together.
● Examples:
○ I fell through the trapdoor of depression
○ The soldiers begin to snarl, grow snouts, and foam at the teeth

There are three types of metaphors:

Expressed Identity Qualifying Metaphor Verbal Metaphor

Metaphor

Asserts an identity between Uses adjectives to qualify Formed by conflict between

two nouns, and comes in nouns, and adverbs to qualify the verb and its subject
three forms. verbs. Friction within these and/or object.
relationships creates a
metaphor.

● “x is y” - Fear is a ● Hasty clouds ● Clouds sail

shadow ● To sing blindly ● He tortured his clutch
● “the y of x” - The ● Frost gobbles summer
shadow of fear down
● “x’s y” - Fear’s
shadow

Human beings have the creativity needed to make metaphors, we just need to train
ourselves a bit and direct our energy properly to increase the likelihood for inspiration. A
metaphor works by essentially revealing some third thing that two ideas share in common. One
good way of finding metaphors is by asking these two questions:

1. What characteristics does my idea have?

2. What else has those characteristics?
In this example, we examine a metaphor that combines two very different sources:
Muhammad Ali is an avalanche over his opponents.
The relationship between Muhammad Ali and an avalanche doesn’t seem immediately
clear, unless you seek out and recognize the linking term or concept. You can find connections
such as power, strength, deadly, or keeping quiet when you’re in their territories. Asking the two
above questions opens up these relationships to help you develop metaphor-seeking habits.
 Vocabulary
Adjective - a word or phrase naming an attribute, added to or grammatically related to a
noun to modify or describe it
Noun - a person, place, or thing
Verb - a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

Task
Get into groups of at least four people, and divide the participants of each group into two
equal groups. Each large group will have a different metaphor creation task based on one of the
following:
1. Have one half of a group make an arbitrary list of five interesting adjectives while the
other half makes an arbitrary list of five interesting nouns.

2. Have one half of a group make an arbitrary list of five interesting verbs while the other
half makes an arbitrary list of five interesting nouns.

3. Have one half of a group make an arbitrary list of five interesting nouns while the other
half also makes an arbitrary list of five interesting nouns.

Combine your arbitrary lists within your groups and fill them out in the chart below.
Everyone should have their own copy. Note that the top left space in the chart is reserved for
whatever task (adjective, verb, or noun) your main group is assigned.

Noun

Microscopic LeBron James

Extravagant Cymol
Clunky Sandy’s Helmet
Repulsive Spaceship
Meticulous Bisquick Cookies

Pondering Bumble Bee

Dwelling Ratatouille
Scavenging Wizard
Deteriorating Bronze
Torturing Fortune Teller
Decapitating Ionic Bond
Admiring

Indigo Wave
Santa Birds
Fireman Flower Buds
Garden Clock
Lottery Sherlock
Canada Heaven
Garden
 Think about each combination for a minute; they evoke some interesting possibilities.
Take any combination from above and try to write a sentence or short paragraph from it.

The extravagant waves rolled along the shore in a graceful, gentle rhythm, as if admiring the
beauty of birds. They sway back and forth and etch in every heat that shines. Now, they dwell
at the heart of the sea, calming and waving at anyone who sees.

Now jumble up your adjectives and nouns into different combinations and write a
sentence or short paragraph for each one (space provided on reverse). The point of this
exercise is to see that linking ideas and metaphors are released by blindly trying different
combinations. Wonderful accidents happen frequently.
The birds ponder across the sky as they chirp away with their melodic voice.

The indigo waves clash against the bronze rocks, displaying a splendid dance.

The wizard meticulously ponders through his garden of knowledge in search for the black-
clover book.

The clunky bisquick cookies deteriorate my hunger as it dwells into my mouth.

Being able to eat Ratatouille’s extravagant food is a blessing from heaven.