A metaphor is a figure of speech mostly used to make a comparison by using figurative elements that allows readers to apprehend the conveyed meaning. A metaphor can be easily distinguished of a comparison by the lack of the use of direct comparative term (for example, “like” or “as”), and also because it establishes a relation of similarity between two objects in an implicit way, whereas a comparison makes a direct and explicit connection between two concepts.
Examples:
Comparison – “Her lips were red as a rose.”
Metaphor – “She has cherry lips.”
Both sentences make a clear reference to a woman with red lips; however, the comparison establishes a direct resemblance between the red lips and the color of the rose, and with the use of the metaphor the reader realizes the color of the lips of the woman (red) due to the allusion of a red fruit.
The metaphor is then mainly characterized by its use of terms that aren’t apparently correlated, so the meaning conveyed by this figure of speech must be always inferred. The use of metaphors is very common in multiple literary styles, given its contribute to enrich the narrative through the insertion of various figurative senses, that allow the reader to have a better perception of the object or situation described.
Other examples of metaphors:
“He carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.”
“Michael is a machine doing calculus.”
“My heart was crying.”
