Metaphor

//__Metaphor __//


 * Definition:: **A figure of speech that describes a subject by applying it to something that is not literally applicable, in order to suggest resemblance or emphasis.


 * Origin:: ** Greek, Latin


 * See also:: ** [|Simile]

Definition taken from (dictionary.com)


 * Examples ** from text:

1) In the short story by Sherwood Anderson, //Hands//, the hands of the main character are described using a metaphor. “The slender expressive fingers, forever active, forever striving to conceal themselves in his pockets or behind his back, came forth and became the piston rods of his machinery of expression.”
 * The hands (or fingers) are the subject that are described, and are applied to something that is not literally applicable, or piston rods. The metaphor was used to suggest the resemblance of the man’s hands to piston rods, or to emphasize the movement of his fingers. One can gain a greater understanding of the man’s hands through the metaphor, since able to visualize the comparison to the movement of piston rods.



2) In the Batman comic book by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, //The Killing Joke//, The Joker is torturing Commissioner Gordon and trying to make him go mad. At one point, The Joker tauntingly says, "Life's a bowl of cherries and this is the pits".
 * "Life" is the subject being described by the Joker, but is applied to something that is not actually relatable. Life cannot actually be a bowl of cherries, but The Joker is using the phrase either to be sarcastic, since life is not always sweet and simple, or to contrast it with Commissioner Gordon's current predicament. The Joker portrays Commissioner Gordon's situation by saying, "and this is the pits", since he is being humiliated. Though the situation is not in fact cherry pits, The Joker uses this phrase to relate it to a another type of pit, as the commissioner is feeling "low".



3) In the NPR story by Jenna Williams, //Deviants,// the narrator is describing the "rituals" that he and his friends used to partake in over the summer as kids. They would run around the neighborhood and "ding dong ditch" various houses. At one point in the story they are about to ring the doorbell of one of the girls that they know, who they think is a nerd. The narrator is looking back at his friend, Brady, as they are preparing to ring the doorbell. "A pair of yellow possum eyes glowed behind a garden plant. Blinked. 'Scared?' I said. Brady hesitated, then pressed the plastic button"
 * The narator believes that his friend, Brady, is afraid to ring the doorbell and run. His eyes are literally applied to that of a possum, to emphasize that Brady appears timid, though he is incapable of actually possessing possum eyes.



(CG)