Metaphor is a figure of speech which compares two unlike thinks without using ‘as’, ‘like’ or ‘than’. It says that one thing is another. It is a comparison that show how two things, that are not alike, in most ways, are similar in one important way.
A metaphor can either be implicit or explicit.
Explicit metaphor: It is a metaphor which is clear about the two things being compared.
Examples
√ The stars were diamonds in the sky.
√ Agnes’s smile was a ray of sunshine.
√ His strength, his movement and his speed were a machine.
√ They couldn’t stand because their legs were rubber.
√ The coming election would be a life and death fight.
√ He is a night owl.
√ Jamal was a pig at dinner.
√ The snow is a white blanket.
√ You are my sunshine.
√ The sun is a golden ball.
√ Books are the keys to your imagination.
Implicit/implied metaphor: It is a metaphor which compares two unlike things without mentioning one of them.
Examples
√ Andrew’s anger grew until it erupted. (compares anger to a volcano)
√ John barked at the girl. (compares John to a dog)
√ She flies at him. (compares her to a bird)
√ The ants orbited the snail before attacking it. (they are being compared to planets)
√ The boy hisses to his young brother. (he is compared to a snake).
The use of metaphors makes the writing vivid. We are made to see what is being described as if it is a picture. Metaphors reveal aspects of people, objects and situations. Generally, a metaphor describes one subject as being equal to a second object.
Both similes and metaphors are forms of comparison. The difference between a simile and a metaphor is that similes allow the two ideas to remain distinct in spite of the similarity. But metaphors equate two ideas despite their difference.
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