We explain what a metaphor is and how this poetic figure is composed. Also, some examples and their difference from the comparison.
What is a metaphor?
A metaphor is known as a trope or poetic figure that consists of the displacement of meaning between two words or terms, to express a relationship that accentuates or attributes certain characteristics to it. In other words, it is about naming something with something else, to force an association or analogy between both.
It is a procedure widely used both in literary language (especially in poetry), as in everyday speech, since it serves to impart a much greater power to what is said than direct speech.
A metaphor can beautify a description, be comical, ironic, offensive, take an unexpected turn or even be enigmatic, mysterious.
Metaphors are commonly understood as rhetorical figures or decoration of the language, and are composed of three elements:
- The object of what is really spoken (tenor).
- The object that is invoked or named (vehicle).
- The relationship between both terms (foundation).
Thus, it is possible to speak of two types of metaphor, mainly: theexplicit, when both terms appear in the expression; and theimplicit, when the tenor does not appear but must be inferred or deduced from the expression.
Examples of metaphor
Some simple metaphor examples are as follows:
- Hisbear look Ymouse character.
- I looked at thepearls from her mouth.
- The love is a fight fingers.
- It raineddevilishly.
- The sun illuminated asad street.
- Its in his headthere were tongues of fire tied in a ponytail.
- A toadfat as a truck.
- The land wasgray as regret.
Love metaphors
Love is probably one of the most metaphorical themes in both common speech and literary language. A list of such metaphors would include:
- Love burns like fire.
- Love is wide as the sky.
- Love is a music.
- Love is a journey as a couple.
- Love is a mandate of nature.
- Love becomes addictive like a drug.
- Love is beautiful as the poetry or like the art.
- Love is a secret
- Love is a refuge.
- Love is a force.
- Love is radiant like Sun.
- Love explodes like fireworks.
- Love is a craziness shared.
- Love is a gamble.
- Love hurts like a wound.
- Love conquers all obstacles.
- Love is sweet.
- Love is deep
- Love breaks into a thousand pieces.
- Love is reborn from the ashes.
- Love is like an open flower.
Metaphor and comparison
Normally, a distinction is made between metaphor and comparison (or simile), based on the way in which the analogy relationship between the terms put in comparison is constructed. So that:
- If a real concept is associated with an imaginary one, based on its similarity, shape or some other comparable feature, in such a way that both objects maintain their identity despite being compared, we will be faced with a simile or comparison. It is easy to identify them by the appearance of comparative links such as "as ... as", "same as", "similar to", "as", etc.
- If, on the other hand, two concepts are associated that are later intertwined, matched or one of which is implicit, we will be in the presence of a pure metaphor. In that case, no comparative links will appear, but the terms will be forced to work together.