INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DEL PROFESORADO SAN AGUSTÍN

LITERATURA NORTEAMERICANA

Symbol vs Metaphor

The use of figures of speech to make the writing ornate and impressive is very old and
poets and writers have been making heavy use of these figures of speeches to achieve the
kind of intensity or beauty that they intend to make their audiences feel. Those who
have been taught about these figures of speeches know very well what a symbol or a
metaphor stand for and how they are used by authors, to make their writing more
beautiful. However, there are many who find difficult to differentiate between a
metaphor and a symbol as they have many similarities. Let us take a closer look.

Symbol

The use of an image or a picture to represent something else than it stands for is called
symbolism and is heavily resorted to by the authors. When you see the flag of a country
in front of the name of a person on the internet, you immediately know about the
nationality of the member. A flag stands for a country just like the shape of a heart is
used to indicate love or romance in text. It is clear then that a symbol is something that
stands for something else.

When you see the sign of plus, you immediately recognize it as that of a doctor. Symbols
are not restricted to written characters alone, and there are symbols made of sound or
even gesture that remind people of an idea or an event that is totally different. In
literature, symbols are mostly used for comparisons as in the case of metaphors.

Metaphor

Figurative language that is full of figures of speeches is mostly associated with poetry,
though it is a fact that we make use of these figures of speeches, especially metaphors in
our daily conversation too. Metaphor is a figure of speech that allows a writer to compare
objects that seem totally unrelated to each other. It is a type of analogy that makes it
possible to compare different things like when Shakespeare says ‘All the world’s a stage’.
Here, one can see that literally speaking; we know that the world is not a stage but still
the writer is able to compare the world with a stage. Here, it has to be remembered that,
in simile, a thing is likened with another while, in metaphor, a thing is another is what is
inferred by the writer.

What is the difference between Symbol and Metaphor?

• A symbol makes use of a character or an image to represent something else.

• A metaphor allows a writer to compare seemingly opposite or unrelated things.

• There is no comparison in a symbol while comparison is the central idea behind

metaphor.

• A metaphor tries to explain a concept to make for a better understanding.

Sources:
https://cleanlanguage.co.uk/articles/articles/62/1/Figurative-Language-Examined-Metaphors-
Symbols-and-Related-Concepts/Page1.html
https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-symbol-and-vs-metaphor/
 INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DEL PROFESORADO SAN AGUSTÍN
LITERATURA NORTEAMERICANA

• A ballerina is a butterfly is a metaphor while using the image of a butterfly for a

ballerina is a symbol.

METAPHORS, SYMBOLS AND RELATED CONCEPTS

Metaphors, symbols, metonymy, simile, emblems, images, analogies and icons are to
name but a few of the elements incorporate in the syntax construction clients use to
describe cognition and affect. What difference does it make for the therapist to recognise
these variations?

Here are some definitions and a chance to recover the original definitions and
reintroduce the reader to the special variances of figurative language. The aim is to
clarify the words clients choose during a therapy session.

As this subject matter is enormous the points that will be addressed here are those
considered useful for the therapist to recognize and value when working with a client's
metaphors and symbols. The clinical implication notes relate to the work with the four
quadrants. All associated concepts have been replaced under a category of figurative
speech.

metaphor definition: An implied analogy in which one thing is compared or

identified with another dissimilar thing. For example, a feeling that is described in terms
of "butterflies in the stomach", a "heart beating like a drum", or "just going blank".

The emotive metaphor is generally an extended one. That is to say

clinical implication:
when a feeling is transformed into its metaphorical equivalent, it is sustained throughout
the work and functions as a controlling image. Metaphors are 'vertical' in nature. They
deepen the information. Time is frozen while the information is developed. The
questions used to develop a metaphor develop space not time. A metaphor awakens the
conceptions with more force and grace than 'everyday' language. An epistemological
metaphor is personal and unique, translating a feeling or thought into a form that can
travel through time to its original. Quadrant two and three questions develop
metaphors.

symbol definition: A symbol signifies or stands for something else. Usually that
something is concrete. It is not common for a thought or feeling to develop into a
symbol as symbols are universal and represent cultures, traditions and religions of family
of origin. Examples of symbols include a crucifix or a menorah, a stop sign or a door
knocker. Symbols direct and organize, record and communicate large amounts of
information in a quick way. Cultures rely on them to maintain order, discipline and
moral ethics.

Symbols will occur more frequently when the client's information is

clinical implication:
referencing ancestral information. Symbols do not transform as readily as metaphors as
they represent generations of use. Unlike the intimacy of metaphors, symbols are
universal. They are represented and supported by generations of use. Symbols tend to
maintain their form and therefore must be relocated to the time and space of origin.
When a symbol is back in its original context, required qualities must be collected and
brought forward to the present, where they can then be owned by the client. Symbols,
Sources:
https://cleanlanguage.co.uk/articles/articles/62/1/Figurative-Language-Examined-Metaphors-
Symbols-and-Related-Concepts/Page1.html
https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-symbol-and-vs-metaphor/
 INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DEL PROFESORADO SAN AGUSTÍN
LITERATURA NORTEAMERICANA

unlike metaphors which usually have a definitive explanation derived from the
experience, have so many interpretations and generations of use it is impossible for them
to be understood entirely. This is why it is necessary to place symbols in their effective
context.

Symbolism can also be found in attitude and posture. For example, the postures of
supplication or mudras, the gestures and attitudes incorporated in Hindu and Buddhist
cultures. Similar gestures are familiar in Christian traditions. An example of working
with this kind of symbolism: the client sits with her hands held together as if in prayer,
but rather than a feeling of accord with her hands, the client experiences discomfort or
confusion. The clasped hands will have an embedded doctrine is not conformable with
the client. An intervention will involve pulling the hands back in time to the original
owner.

Sources:
https://cleanlanguage.co.uk/articles/articles/62/1/Figurative-Language-Examined-Metaphors-
Symbols-and-Related-Concepts/Page1.html
https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-symbol-and-vs-metaphor/