...The Use of Metaphors in Poetry Rachel Kleinholter World of Texts 9 October 2012 The use of metaphor in poetry is one of the most important aspects of poetic style. Metaphor is defined as figure of speech in which a thing is referred to as being something that it resembles. For example, a fierce person can be referred to as a tiger or a lion. In this way, metaphors are used in poetry to explain and elucidate emotions, feelings, relationships other elements that could not be described in ordinary language. Poets also use metaphor as a way of explaining or referring to something in a brief but effective way. Metaphors have many uses within poems, making them have deeper meaning than what the surface words can convey. Imagery may sometimes be visualized through the use of metaphor. The effect this has on the reader is that it functions primarily to increase stylistic colorfulness and variety. There is not a rulebook for poetry claiming that poems must have metaphors in order to be considered “good”. Yet, we consistently see the use of metaphors in many of the poems that we read today. Poets gravitate towards using metaphors in their poems because it creates a new element of understanding that a simple statement could not do. For example, in the poem “Doesn’t he realize”, the narrator could have just stated that she should not have to be expected to bend completely to the will of her lover. However, by comparing herself to the seaweed the reader gets a much better...
Words: 1204 - Pages: 5
...A Comparison of the Use of Metaphor in Professional, Popular and Pedagogic Science Introduction: “Metaphor was defined as a conceptual-linguistic mapping between a source and a target domain” (Aliskan, 2005), which is used when people want to talk about a concept, object or process unconventionally. It often acts as a bridge to associate abstract ideas or concepts with something that is close to people’s life, so that people can understand the idea or concept better. In the use of a metaphor, the comparison of two things is usually involved. Although the two things are not necessarily alike as a whole, they always have some specific similarities. Technically, those abstract ideas and concepts are called “vehicle”, the things closed to our life is called “topic” and their similarities “grounds”. It is widely acknowledged that science is an area full of abstract processes, concepts and ideas, thus the use of metaphor makes it much easier for scientists and science learners to understand scientific theories and be understood, which makes it very important and interesting for a science student to have a deep look at the use of metaphor in science, because it will help science students have a better idea of the metaphor used in science and furthermore, help them improve their learning. In this essay, the similarities and differences of the use of metaphors in professional, popular and pedagogic sciences will be carefully checked. Their similarities of the use in the three sciences...
Words: 2217 - Pages: 9
...Module 1 – Introduction to the use of organizational metaphors One of the visions of the future I was given as a child growing up was that of totally automated factories where computers control every aspect of the operation, and robots executed every function required. Humans would no longer be needed to do mundane or dangerous tasks, and we could instead spend our days sitting by our pools, sipping cocktails and pondering what else we could do with all of our free time that technology provided. Fast forward in time to our modern reality. Computers and robots have indeed modernized production lines, and technology has permeated nearly every facet of our lives. Modern factories and businesses have become so technological that it is the roles of humans and machines have blurred. The truth is, however, that no matter how sophisticated machines may be; human intervention and participation is still essential to the smooth functioning of any organization. The subject of our case study, the Telebank call centre, is a very flat organization that is based on a functional structure. They have three categories of employees, so there aren’t the successive levels of supervisors or managers found in many other types of organizations. I think that this company replicates a “machine” in many ways. The work is repetitive and monotonous. Except for inputs of emotion to customize the experience for callers and to demonstrate some empathy to their plight, the basic tasks remain the same...
Words: 1419 - Pages: 6
...3/1/14 Literary Critique Final draft Dr. Martin Luther King uses many different literary elements in his “I have a dream” speech, although the most frequently used elements were simile, metaphor, analogy, symbolism and allusion. King used these literary elements to grasp his audience and make them listen to the words he spoke. In his I have a dream speech used these literary elements to convey a message to the United States. This message was to bring America out of the current continuous abyss of segregation it was in. Dr. King uses simile, symbolism, metaphor, analogy and allusion to deliver one of the best speeches ever too an audience of millions. Firstly, two of the most continuously used literary elements were simile and metaphor. For example, King said “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.” in this sentence King is speaking on the Declaration of Independence in a metaphoric sense. King is comparing the constitution to a promissory note which is a metaphor. King also uses a fair amount of simile in this speech as well, although in my opinion the usage of metaphor and simile was a little unbalanced. Dr. King used an abundant amount of metaphor but not a sufficient amount of simile. I would suggest that perhaps King thought the continuous usage metaphor gave a more stern tone to his speech, in return receiving a...
Words: 576 - Pages: 3
...Metaphors Essay Angelica Encalada PHL/251 July 20, 2015 Deeadra Albert-Green Metaphors Essay The metaphor vs plain language. There are so many thoughts going through your mind can you really explain it in your own words? This is where metaphors come to place. Metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. (Google) Metaphors can help explain something to make it more understanding. For example, my cousin is the black sheep of the family. He really is not black nor is a sheep. A black sheep is an unusual animal that you do not usually see with the herd. My cousin is never around and when he is, he stays behind. He and the black sheep share the same characteristics, therefore, I use the metaphor, and he is the black sheep in the family. Another type of metaphor is called a conventional metaphor. These types of metaphors are sometimes constructed through our common language. Another example, someone who loves the nightlife would be referred to a ‘night owl’ versus someone who is the first one up in the morning and can take on the day with no coffee would be referred to being an early bird. Plain language unlike metaphors is clear. The language is designed for the reader to understand complete and clear as possible. Some people refrain from using plain language since it would be out of their comfort zone so they use metaphor to make their statement more understanding. The metaphor...
Words: 337 - Pages: 2
...Taylor Hallahan March 23, 2014 Case Study Analysis Busn Policy and Strategies “Seeing your metaphor is important and must be done before you can walk out the metaphor in your daily life.” Most of us in this world don’t understand the concept of a metaphor or what it can do for your life. We go day to day with the same routines and nothing ever changes. We are caught up in what we are suppose to do and don’t realize that we aren’t getting anywhere or when we do it is usually too late. The metaphor we create throughout our lives isn’t necessarily the one we should always keep. Jason and his record company encountered some difficult problems with their metaphor. They realized that their company wasn’t working well with the metaphor they had chosen; they made some changes, and created a whole new metaphor for their business. In “Speak Performance” by Jim Walz, Jason uses many metaphors for his record company, realizes that they aren’t working, and changing his view on the company. This corresponds into our own life’s and made me think about what metaphors I have and how I can change them if they aren’t helping me reach my main vision in life. Jason first came to realize that his company was in trouble by the distribution of his products. Things were being positioned lower on the shelves, and they were not getting end cap displays like they had in the past. Also, their online sales were starting to suffer. He also noticed that his artist’s numbers were dropping. Less the...
Words: 1697 - Pages: 7
...bringing additional imagery into verse, making the abstract concrete, making literary works more sensuous. The third, figurative is a way of adding emotional intensity to otherwise merely informative statements and conveying attitudes along with information. And the last, it is a way of saying much in brief compass. She divides figurative language into seven types, namely metaphor, simile, personification, metonymy, paradox, overstatement, understatement, irony and illusion. 2 Keraf (1998: 129) divided majas (figures of speech) into two classifications, namely majas retoris (rhetoric) and majas kiasan (analogy). The first classification covers illiteracy, assonances, anastrophe, apophasis, apostrophe, asyndeton, polycyndenton, chiasmus, ellipsis, euphemism, litotes, paradox, hyperbole and oxymoron. Meanwhile the later covers simile, metaphor, allegory, personification, allusion, metonymy, irony and synecdoche. Another Indonesian linguist, Muliono (1989) divided majas or gaya bahasa into three categories. They are majas kiasan or perumpamaan/perbandingan (analogy/comparison) which consists of simile, metaphor and personification,...
Words: 15127 - Pages: 61
...Analysis of “The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin The story under analysis is written by Kate Chopin. Kate Chopin was an American author of short stories and novels. She wrote for both children and adults. She is considered as a forerunner of feminist author. Unlike many of the feminist writers of her time who were mainly interested in improving the social conditions of women, she looked for an understanding of personal freedom. She put much concentration on women’s lives and their continual struggles to create an identity of their own personality. Her stories were not accepted by the public of that period. Through her stories Kate wrote her own autobiography and documented her surroundings. She is the author of such works as “The Awakening”, “A Night in Arcadie”, “Désirée’s Baby”, “At Fault” and “The story of an Hour”. The action of the “The story of an Hour” takes place in the house of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, in the middle of 19 century. In a bourgeois family. I’d like to remark that at that time the situation was different from the current state of things in modern world. Women were supposed to obey their husbands, devoting themselves fully to raising a baby and taking care of their house. No time for their personal needs, hobbies, interests and work. Women lived all their lives in the shadow of their husbands. “The story of an Hour” begins with sad news. Mrs. Mallard’s sister Josephine and her husband’s friend Richards try to inform her husband’s death. During the...
Words: 1708 - Pages: 7
...speech. According to (Webster’s.com), an idiom was first utilized in 1588 and can be defined as “an expression in the use of a language that is peculiar to itself either grammatically in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements”. Idioms are utilized to make language richer and more colorful. Idioms are often used to supersede a literal word or expression, as the idiom better describes the full nuance of meaning. Example: “Jumping the gun” means a person acted hastily or made a snap decision predicated on inadequate information. By reason of assumption a person can often “jump the gun” and assume the best or worst in any situation. This kind of anticipatory action can have a positive result, but most of the time someone who jump the gun eventually makes an erroneous or misinformed decision based on inaccurate early information. Analogy inference that if two or more things accede with one another in some respects they will probably accede in others. Analogies are often used to simplify or explain a complex subject or situation by comparing it to something with similar features. The phrase, “ She has a velvet voice,” is an analogy used to parallel the singer’s voices to the smoothness of velvet. Analogies are a good way of getting your point across. But if the analogy is obscure, it hinders instead of helps. Metaphor a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally...
Words: 898 - Pages: 4
...civically abandoned places in St. Louis. Kendzior then ties these cakes to the governmental problems in St. Louis. She expresses the desire to move past Ferguson and have a conversation on race. This will help support the civically abandoned and will create a better community. Throughout Ferguson Won’t Heal Kendzior uses imagery, pathos, ethos and metaphor to uncover the city’s pain and its desire to heal. This concept of healing is very metaphorical in this article and although the actual event of Ferguson may have ended, as Kendzior says, “There has been no healing, only deeper wounds. There has been no closure, only a desire to move on. St. Louis wants to move forward, but it is driving blind.” Here, Kendzior talks about healing in a metaphorical sense. The deep wounds are a lack of communication and the lack of a sense of community in St. Louis and even in America. The idea of driving blind is a metaphor for the government’s lack of initiative (being blind) to fix this ongoing problem of discrimination. Driving blind is not going to get you anywhere except in a more dangerous position than before, which is how Kendzior feels about Ferguson’s situation. By using the metaphor of driving blind, Kendzior also evokes pathos because everyone can relate to driving blind and its consequences. However, Kendzior does think that this lack of communication can be solved with a simple conversation where both parties are empathetic and really listen, she says, “It is a conversation that won’t...
Words: 936 - Pages: 4
...The Yorùbá Animal Metaphors: Analysis and Interpretation ADÉSOLÁ OLÁTÉJÚ University of Ibadan, Nigeria ABSTRACT The paper undertakes a study of animal metaphors in the Yorùbá language with a view to highlighting the stylistic and communicative potentials of these metaphors. To achieve the set objective, the animals – domestic and wild – involved in metaphors and their individual distinctive characteristic features that motivate their metaphorical interpretations are highlighted. The paper also discusses the sources of animal metaphors, which are said to be located in three areas, namely: the Yorùbá naming culture, animal characteristic habits and behaviour, and the Yorùbá poetry. In discussing the metaphorical processes involved in the interpretation of animal-related metaphors, a two-dimensional approach is adopted: stylistic and cultural. In the first, the semantic features of animals involved in metaphors are decomposed into semantic markers that are of two types. The first is the High Priority Semantic Markers (HPSM), which determine the cognitive/conceptual meaning of the metaphors, and the second is the Low Priority Semantic Markers (LPSM), which determine the secondary metaphorical interpretation. Animal metaphors involve transference of meanings, and whatever meanings or interpretations are assigned to a particular animal metaphor, are culture and context dependent. The paper concludes with stylistic and communicative functions of animal metaphors, with the submission...
Words: 6152 - Pages: 25
...instance, the English language is the only language which uses multiple spellings for similar-sounding words. Take for example “threw” and “through;” “led” and “lead;” or “accept” and “except.” “The fact is, although it’s possible to make rough guesses at English spellings using phonetics, in order to really know English spelling, you have to memorize the spelling of every word” (Alexander, 2009). Additionally, the English language features words which are spelled the same, but possess different definitions and uses. For example, “wound” and “wound.” Unless these words are seen in the form of a sentence or heard the terms in which they are referenced, recognizing the difference is impossible; sometimes even for one brought up speaking the English language. Not only do individual words offer different meanings, the method, or “tone” in which one speaks also offer a level of confusion. While there are different methods in which to ‘stress’ key words within a sentence or ‘emphasize’ the importance of what is being said, two common types of language, which are complete opposites, often result in frequent misinterpretations that no other language is able to easily comprehend. These two are literal and figurative language. In deciphering what the true meaning behind one’s words, English speaking natives recognize that the primary method in doing just this is by using common sense; but unless one is fully aware of the uses and meanings behind...
Words: 1944 - Pages: 8
...Week 3: Assignment 2 Nicholas Anderson Professor Noah Horwitz PHI-210 Our ability to communicate is based around language. Every word we speak or write has a meaning and that meaning is interpreted by those we communicate with. Some words and phrases are more direct than others. Some have multiple meanings and some have meanings that are purely figurative as opposed to literal. When communicating with each other it is important to understand how those words are phrases may be interpreted and how it is received. To get a better idea of what figurative language is and how to use it, we will discuss 10 examples. Idiom: An idiom is a phrase or saying that has multiple meanings; a literal and a figurative. We use idioms everyday without consideration for their literal meanings because the figurative definition has become standard in out lexicon. An example of an idiom would be the saying someone "kicked the bucket". Most of us understand the meaning of this saying to be that someone has passed away or died. However, there is a literal meaning as well that some physically kicked a bucket. When this phrase is used it is understood to mean someone died, but the combination of words themselves taken at face value would mean that someone swung their foot and connected with a bucket. Analogy: An analogy is defined as a similarity between the like features of two things on which a comparison may be made. Analogies are a big part of our language in how we attempt to...
Words: 1069 - Pages: 5
...In each of Thomas Hardy’s poems, he uses many literary devices to express different concerns. One of the main concerns which are commonly displayed in his poems is the portrayal of death and the supernatural. Hardy often uses dark and depressing references to create the image for this concern. Hardy would also use various literary devises such as personification, similes and alliteration to get the main point across for his poems. In Tomas Hardy’s poems, “God’s Education”, “The Darkling Trush”, “The Moth Signal”, “The Phantom Horsewoman” and “Life and Death at Sunrise”, he would often use metaphors to clearly express one of his main concerns which are the portrayal of death and supernatural. Frequently in the poem, “God’ Education” which portrays a young woman dying and her love one watched her die. The obvious theme of the poem is death which assists the development of the tone. The tone of this poem is showing great sadness and lividness about her death, but most importantly, it is displaying the young man’s disappointment with God for taking the young girl’s life away. Hardy also created a tone for God which seems to be amusement. One of the first metaphors which is revealed is “I saw him steal the light away:” (V-1, L-1) When talking about the light in someone, imagine life, joy and meaning but God has apparently stole the light away from her life leaving her to be just a being without a purpose or reason. Also “That haunted in her eye:” (V-1, L-2) The light which vanished...
Words: 634 - Pages: 3
...music, and theatre. Narrative techniques provide deeper meaning for the reader and help the reader use imagination to visualize situations. Narrative literary techniques are also known as literary devices. Before we look too closely at narrative techniques, it's important to understand that literary elements in narratives include such things as the setting, plot, theme, style or structure, characters, and perspective, or voice of the story, since literary techniques are best understood in the context of one of these elements. Types of Narrative Techniques There are many literary techniques, but for this lesson, we will examine literary techniques relevant to style, plot, and narrative perspective, or point of view. Common techniques relevant to style, or the language chosen to tell a story, include metaphors, similes, personification, imagery, hyperbole, and alliteration. Common techniques relevant to plot, which is the sequence of events that make up a narrative, include back-story, flashback, flash-forward, and foreshadowing. Common techniques relevant to narrative perspective, or who is telling the story, include first person, second person, third person, and third-person omniscient. Examples of Narrative Techniques in Style The style a writer uses is seen in the diction, or the language used. Figurative language is a common element in narrative writing. Metaphors and similes are expressions used to compare two things in an effort to help the reader have a better...
Words: 838 - Pages: 4
