“But now, O Lord, You are our Father, We are the

clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work
of Your hand.” —Isaiah 64:8
Metaphors in Literature
What is a metaphor?

 A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes

a comparison between two unlike things.
 As a literary device, metaphor creates implicit comparisons
without the express use of “like” or “as.” Metaphor is a means
of asserting that two things are identical in comparison rather
than just similar.
 A metaphor is a literary device that imaginatively draws a
comparison between two unlike things. It does this by stating that
Thing A is Thing B.
Common examples of metaphors

• “Bill is an early bird.”

• “Life is a highway.”
• “Her eyes were diamonds.”
 Note that metaphors are always non-literal. They simply tend to
directly compare one object to another’s innate characteristics.
 “What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet, the
sun!”
 In this metaphor, Juliet is compared to the sun. In fact, this figure of
speech claims that Juliet is the sun. Of course, the reader understands
that Romeo does not believe that Juliet is literally the sun. Instead, the
comparison demonstrates the idea that Romeo equates Juliet with
the beauty, awe, and life-giving force of the sun. To Romeo, symbolically,
Juliet and the sun are the same.
Difference between a metaphor and a simile.

Metaphor Simile
Both are figures of speech designed to create comparisons.
Metaphors create direct comparisons Similes uses the words “like” and “as” to
draw comparisons
A metaphor is often poetically saying A simile is saying something is
something is something else. like something else.
Uses of Metaphors in Literature
1. Metaphors can make prose more
muscular or imagery more vivid:
 “Exhaustion is a thin blanket tattered with bullet
holes.” ―If Then, Matthew De Abaitua
 “The sun in the west was a drop of burning gold that slid
near and nearer the sill of the world.” —Lord of the Flies,
William Golding
 “Exhaustion is a thin blanket tattered with bullet
holes.” ―If Then, Matthew De Abaitua
Writers frequently turn to metaphors to
describe people in unexpected ways:
 “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east,
and Juliet is the sun!” —Romeo & Juliet, William Shakespeare
 “Mr. Neck storms into class, a bull chasing thirty-three red
flags." —Speak, Laurie Anderson
 “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 can pick it off and flick it away.” —Matilda,
Roald Dahl
Metaphors can help “visualize” a situation
or put an event in context:
 “But now, O Lord, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our
potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.” —Isaiah 64:8
 “He could hear Beatty's voice. ‘Sit down, Montag. Watch.
Delicately, like the petals of a flower. Light the first page, light the
second page. Each becomes a black butterfly. Beautiful, eh? Light
the third page from the second and so on, chainsmoking, chapter by
chapter, all the silly things the words mean, all the false promises,
all the second-hand notions and time-worn philosophies.’” —
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
To entertain and tickle the brain, metaphor examples
sometimes compare two extremely unlike things:

 “Delia was an overbearing cake with condescending frosting, and

frankly, I was on a diet.” ―Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception,
Maggie Stiefvater
 "The sun was a toddler insistently refusing to go to bed: It was past
eight thirty and still light.” —Fault in Our Stars, John Green
 “If wits were pins, the man would be a veritable hedgehog.” ―Fly
by Night, Frances Hardinge
Metaphors can help frame abstract concepts
in ways that readers can easily grasp:
 “My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.” —
Fault In Our Stars, John Green
 “Memories are bullets. Some whiz by and only spook you. Others
tear you open and leave you in pieces.” ―Kill the Dead, Richard
Kadrey
 “Wishes are thorns, he told himself sharply. They do us no good,
just stick into our skin and hurt us.” ―A Face Like Glass, Frances
Hardinge
Poets use metaphors directly in the text to
explain emotions and opinions:
 She must make him happy. She must be his favorite place in
Minneapolis. You are a souvenir shop, where he goes to remember
how much people miss him when he is gone. —“Unrequited Love
Poem,” Sierra DeMulder
 I watched a girl in a sundress kiss another girl on a park bench, and
just as the sunlight spilled perfectly onto both of their hair, I thought
to myself: How bravely beautiful it is, that sometimes, the sea wants
the city, even when it has been told its entire life it was meant for the
shore. —“I Watched A Girl In A Sundress,” Christopher Poindexter
Daily Expressions

 He’s just blowing off steam.

 That is music to my ears.
 You are the light in my life.
 He has the heart of a lion.
…And a lifetime ban at the local zoo.
 Have you ever had a hard time holding on and
letting go of certain things?
 Treasures of the Deep
By Koh Buck Song
It is the endless story but there is a cost
Every time, of periodic to zeal in this department,
inventory checks, efficiency- the inability to crystal-ball
driven to clear the shelves, the future sentimental value
sweep away the cobwebs, of present possessions,
unload the past, for treasures of the deep
reload for the future… entangled in the seaweed
of other accumulations
become unrecoverable even with
sea hunts under the bed:
cowboys and Indians, soldiers,
full set of primary school uniform,
comics, first teddy bear, if any…

Before you know it,

The souvenirs are precious few
And out of production
Like a box of kuti-kuti,
Plastic toys of another era
And the mud of time
Can pile so full
Regret is an impotent tool
 Analyze:

Lines Metaphor Object/Concepts it stands

for
inventory checks, efficiency- Checking goods in an Systematically choosing old
driven to clear the shelves, inventory and cleaning the things to dispose of and then
sweep away the cobwebs, shelves. discarding them.
Analyze:

unload the past,

reload for the future…
Can pile so full
Analyze:

for treasures of the deep

entangled in the seaweed
of other accumulations
become unrecoverable even with
sea hunts under the bed:
Analyze:

Before you know it,

The souvenirs are precious few
And out of production
Analyze:

Plastic toys of another era

And the mud of time
the inability to crystal-ball
the future sentimental value
of present possessions,
Remember:

 A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between

two unlike things.
 As a literary device, metaphor creates implicit comparisons without
the express use of “like” or “as.” Metaphor is a means of asserting
that two things are identical in comparison rather than just similar.
 A metaphor is a literary device that imaginatively draws a comparison
between two unlike things. It does this by stating that Thing A is Thing
B.
For you to reflect on:

 “The Lord will fight for you and you will only be silent” –
Exodus 14:14.