The Use of Metaphors
SanTianna Simmons
ENG 1102
25 April 2013
A metaphor is where you show how two unrelated things are similar. For example by saying "Love is a roller-coaster.” A key aspect of a metaphor is use a specific transference of a word into another context. The human mind creates comparisons between different things. The best writers use metaphors. Like poetry, a metaphor will express a thousand different meanings all at once, allowing the writer to convey much more content than they could do otherwise. More than playing simple word games, the use of metaphors in your writing can elevate your stories to a place next to the greatest authors in the world.
There are many kinds of metaphors: Allegory, catechesis, parables, extended metaphors, etc. An extended metaphor establishes a subject and then extends it further, as in this quote from Shakespeare "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages."
Brian Doyle, Author of “Joyas Valdoras”, uses the hummingbird metaphor to support his story. The story starts off by grabbing the reader’s attention with a fact. The fact is very interesting. Unless you are someone that studies animals, you would have no idea that a hummingbird’s heart is the size of a pencil, or that it beats ten times per second. After I read the first sentence, I was instantly interested to see what more the author had to say. He got the name, Joyas Valdoras, from a reference by early Spanish settlers. It means flying jewels. They called these creatures flying jewels because they had never seen anything like them before. They would fly around quickly all day, reproducing and collecting nectar. Doyle then goes on to add more facts about hummingbirds and their incredible hearts. Hummingbirds can fly up to 500 miles without stopping to rest, however they can get burned out. Whenever humming birds get burned out, it can become
ENG 1102
25 April 2013
A metaphor is where you show how two unrelated things are similar. For example by saying "Love is a roller-coaster.” A key aspect of a metaphor is use a specific transference of a word into another context. The human mind creates comparisons between different things. The best writers use metaphors. Like poetry, a metaphor will express a thousand different meanings all at once, allowing the writer to convey much more content than they could do otherwise. More than playing simple word games, the use of metaphors in your writing can elevate your stories to a place next to the greatest authors in the world.
There are many kinds of metaphors: Allegory, catechesis, parables, extended metaphors, etc. An extended metaphor establishes a subject and then extends it further, as in this quote from Shakespeare "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages."
Brian Doyle, Author of “Joyas Valdoras”, uses the hummingbird metaphor to support his story. The story starts off by grabbing the reader’s attention with a fact. The fact is very interesting. Unless you are someone that studies animals, you would have no idea that a hummingbird’s heart is the size of a pencil, or that it beats ten times per second. After I read the first sentence, I was instantly interested to see what more the author had to say. He got the name, Joyas Valdoras, from a reference by early Spanish settlers. It means flying jewels. They called these creatures flying jewels because they had never seen anything like them before. They would fly around quickly all day, reproducing and collecting nectar. Doyle then goes on to add more facts about hummingbirds and their incredible hearts. Hummingbirds can fly up to 500 miles without stopping to rest, however they can get burned out. Whenever humming birds get burned out, it can become