Metaphor: Definition and its types

        

Metaphor

Milan Kundera wrote in The Unbearable Lightness of Being: “Metaphors are dangerous. Metaphors are not to be trifled with.” Yet, paradoxically, they are an inescapable part of our daily lives — which is why it’s all the more important to understand exactly how they function.

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary Metaphor, “a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (as in drowning in money)”

A metaphor directly compares two distinct things that aren't alike but have something in common

• Life is a highway.
• Her eyes were diamonds.
• He is a shining star.
• The snow is a white blanket.
• She is an early bird.
• “Memories are bullets. Some whiz by and only spook you. Others tear you open and leave you in pieces.” ―Kill the Dead, Richard Kadrey
• “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” —As You Like It, William Shakespeare

 

Tenor and Vehicle

The terms vehicle and tenor were introduced by British rhetorician I. A. Richards in The Philosophy of Rhetoric (1936). Richards determined that each metaphor consists of two parts: the tenor and the vehicle. Richards used the word tenor (Latin for 'connection') to refer to the person, place, or thing being represented in a metaphor, while the metaphor's vehicle is what is representing the tenor. When the tenor and vehicle are both explicitly mentioned, it is a direct metaphor; when one or the other is merely implied, the metaphor is indirect.

• Metaphor: Life is a rollercoaster. It is full of ups and downs.
• Tenor: Life
• Vehicle: Rollercoaster
• Explanation: Life is being compared to a rollercoaster. Instead of saying life is like a rollercoaster, we are saying it is a rollercoaster to achieve literary impact. The similarity between the tenor and the vehicle is that they both have high moments and low moments.

 

• Metaphor: The snow is a blanket over the landscape.
• Tenor: Snow
• Vehicle: Blanket
• Explanation: The snow is being compared to a blanket. The similarity here is that the snow has entirely covered the landscape like a blanket would if you threw it over the grass. The message being conveyed is that the snowfall was so thick that you can no longer see the ground.

 

Types of Metaphors

Dead metaphors:

 A dead metaphor is traditionally defined as a figure of speech that has lost its force and imaginative effectiveness through frequent use. Also known as a frozen metaphor or a historical metaphor. Contrast with creative metaphor.

Example:

1. Body of an essay: Writers refer to the main parts of an essay as the “body paragraphs” or “body of an essay.” While people once used this phrase to compare an essay to the human body, it is now so common that it no longer holds its original meaning.
2. Falling in love: Once used to conjure the act of falling, readers now consider this phrase a conventional way to refer to becoming enamoured with someone.
3. Hands of a clock: Before “hands of a clock”

4.      Heart of gold: While “heart of gold” used to be a surprising phrase to draw a comparison between a kind person’s heart and valuable material, readers now overlook the literal meaning of the common phrase.

5.       Time is running out.

6.       Deadline,

7.      Groundbreaking

Extended (or sustained) metaphors

Metaphor goes on for several sentences. If a metaphor is extended across an entire piece of writing, it’s called a controlling metaphor.

An extended metaphor is a version of metaphor that extends over the course of multiple lines, paragraphs, or stanzas of prose or poetry.

1.      Example #6: Hope is the Thing with Feathers (By Emily Dickenson)

“Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune – without the words,

And never stops at all,

“And sweetest in the gale is heard;

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

2        Life is like eating grapefruit. First, one breaks its skin; then one takes a few bites to get used to its taste, and finally one starts enjoying its flavour.

3        The dark is an unknown and scary black blanket, a place of nightmares. It is a deep hole where light cannot reach, and where horror resides.

4        Their heart is icy, blood frosty, its ventricles rich with icicles; and their words have turned into ice cubes that can chill iced tea.

5        Life is a book, lying on a tabletop, its pages outspread like a thousand wings of a bird.

 

Visual. A visual metaphor compares one thing to a visual image that suggests an association. Visual metaphors are commonly used in advertising—for example, a car manufacturer picturing their latest sports car alongside an image of a panther. The metaphor is used to suggest the car is as slick, fast, and cool as the wild animal.

Mixed metaphors

A mixed metaphor is a literary device that occurs when two or more dissimilar metaphors are fused to forge a comparison, typically creating a ludicrous effect. For example:

She is not only a rose but also a lioness.

To take arms against a sea of trouble

Those Vipers stabbed in my back

My new job helped me to spread my wings and really blossom

Absolute metaphors

 Also known as a paralogical metaphor or anti-metaphor. In this metaphor, there is no obvious similarity between the tenor and vehical.

In a non-absolute metaphor, the basic idea and the metaphor have some resemblance, for example using 'box' as a metaphor for 'house' or 'tube' for 'train'.

"Life is a journey." 

The world is a vampire

She is doing a tightrope walk with her grades this semester.”

Implied metaphors

Metaphor that doesn't explicitly state the comparison. Instead, an implied metaphor does just what its name indicates: it implies, hints, or alludes to the comparison. They’re slightly different from regular metaphors because they don’t specifically state what they’re comparing.

Examples:

1“Maryam finally lured Adam into her web.

In this line, we know what Maryam is being compared to a spider, but it isn’t expressly stated.

2.      Harry crumbled under the pressure,” where it’s implied the man couldn’t cope with pressure

3.      Salam brayed his refusal to leave the party peacefully. (Compares Salam to a donkey)

4.      Teacher barked commands at her child. (Compares teacher to a dog)

5.      Irfan tucked his tail and ran. (Compares Irfan to a scared dog)

6.      Soliha purred over the lavish present. (Compares Soliha to a cat)

7.      The flowers nodded in the wind. (Compares flowers to people)

8.      Basit sailed through her exams in no time. (Compares Basit to a sailboat)

9.      Hashim’s anger grew until it erupted. (Compares anger to a volcano)

10.  Bigotry infects the soul. (Compares bigotry to a disease)

Root Metaphor

Also called a basic metaphor, master metaphor, or myth.

These metaphors are so rooted in everyday language and assumptions, we hardly even recognize them as metaphors. The phrase "Life is a journey" is an example.

Time is money.

You are mad

Conceptual metaphors

A conceptual metaphor—also known as a generative metaphor—is a metaphor (or figurative comparison) in which one idea (or conceptual domain) is understood in terms of another.

He’s without direction in life.

 I’m where I want to be in life.

I’m at a crossroads in my life.

 They’ll go places in life.

He’s never let anyone get in his way.

She’s gone through a lot in life.

Where do we usually see the italicized parts of the above sentences? In which domain? JOURNEY