The metaphor is an implicit or suggested comparison of two things without employing the use of “like” or “as.” Like the simile, the metaphor takes the reader from the known to the unknown. The metaphor harnesses the power of previous knowledge to paint a brighter or more vivid picture of something else. However, unlike the simile, the metaphor does not say that something is “like” or “as” something else.

Here’s an example:

The ship plowed its way through the rough sea.

In the above metaphor, the movement of the ship is being compared to the movement of a plow used to cultivate a field for agricultural purposes. This metaphor is effective in portraying the resistance faced by the ship in moving through the rough and stormy sea.

Some metaphors suggest the similarity between two things, while others state outright that one thing is another.

Here are some examples of a suggested comparison.

1. The ship plowed its way through the rough sea.
2. The fire roared at the wind.
3. The rain drummed on the roof.
4. The man wormed his way through the crowd.

Here are some examples of metaphors with a stated comparison:

1. Your dreams are the wings of your soul.
2. The young player was a lion in yesterday’s game.

Now enjoy this beautiful poem which compares a person’s dreams (aspirations) twice. In the first stanza, it compares a life without dreams to a broken winged bird that cannot fly. In the second stanza, the poem compares a life without dreams to a barren field frozen with snow.

Dreams

by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

In the first stanza, the metaphor compares “life without dreams” to “a broken winged bird.” We can also infer that this metaphor “suggests” that “dreams” are the “wings” of life, or that dreams give us wings to fly.

In the second stanza, the metaphor compares “life without dreams” to “a barren field frozen with snow.” We can also say that the above metaphor “suggests” that dreams bring fulfillment to our lives.

What metaphors can you think of? Tell us in the comments section below.

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