Metaphors are used to help us understand the unknown, because we use what we know in comparison with something we don't know to get a better understanding of the unknown. The simplest and also the most effective poetic device is the use of comparison. A metaphor is a shortcut to meaning. It sets two unlike things side by side and makes us see the likeness between them. For example, a person who is very loud, big and violent can referred to as a bear.
There are different kind of metaphors like simile, personification, anthropomorphism, hyperbole, parable, fable, animism, and analogy. Simile is the comparison of two unlike things using like or as and is related to metaphor. An example of a simile is "He runs fast like a cheetah." This means that he's fast and rarely gets tired when running. Personification is giving human like qualities to animals or objects and is also related to metaphor. An example of personification is "The mirror speaks in a deep voice." This means that the mirror speaks. Anthropomorphism is used with God or gods. Anthropomorphism is the describing of gods or goddesses in human forms and possessing human characteristics such as jealousy, hatred, or love. An example of Anthropomorphism is "Zeus" he's an idea of a god that possesses human characteristics. This means that we have no idea what these people look like or if there real, but people make it seem that they are in myth. Hyperbole is exaggeration or overstatement, opposite of understatement. An example of hyperbole is "I feel so strong I can lift a building." This means that the person feels very strong and is exaggerating how strong they feel. A parable is a short tale that illustrates universal truth, one of the simplest of narratives. It sketches a setting, describes an action, and shows the results. A fable is a fictional story that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized (given human qualities) and illustrates a moral lesson. An example of a fable is "The Three Little Pigs" because there is a moral lesson in the story and animals are anthropomorphized. Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle. An example of animism is "Donald Duck". Analogy is the comparison of two pairs which have the same relationship. An example of analogy is "hot is to cold as fire is to ice". This means that two things that have the same relationship but are opposite of each other. These are examples of metaphors.
Metaphors are used a lot in poems. In the poem "Creativity" the type of metaphor used is personification. The poem is about a shadow of a branch but the poet gives it human like qualities. In the poem it reads "It moves and it is dancing" that is an example of personification. It also says "it writes it's story" these two examples indicate that the branch dances and writes a story, and I don't know too many branches that dance and write story's. The metaphor in "Peace" is another example of personification. The poem reads "all you hear are gentle whispers far away and unimportant" this is saying that the wind speaks.
In the picture of the elephant there is a few different similes. In the picture all the men are blind so they are comparing things to things they know. One man is grabbing the elephant's tail and says "An elephant is like a disconnected phone line." He uses that comparison because an elephant's tail is long and the point isn't connected to anything. Another man is grabbing the elephant's trunk and says "An elephant is like an empty oil pipeline." He uses the oil pipe line as a comparison because of the length, size and the ridges the elephant has on his trunk. These are example's of simile's because they are comparing two unlike things using like or as.
The poem "Dinnertime Chorus" is a personification poem. There are a lot of examples of personification. The first line reads "The teapot sang as the water boils." The personification in that first line is that the teapot is singing making the noise you hear when water boils. In the third line he says "The teacups chattered to one another." He means that as teacups make a sound when placed next to each other or on a table they all make the same noise making it seem like there chattering. Another line that shows clear personification is "As the oil danced in the pan." In that line the poet is suggesting that the oil is dancing as it moves from side to side and starts to pop on the pan. This whole poem is full of personification as the poet gives all the items of his dinnertime life.
"The Wolf In Sheep's Clothing" is an example of a fable. In this fable specifically the author is telling the story which can relate to any predator who tries to fit in with it's prey in order to catch them easier. The author of this fable explains how a wolf can disguise itself as a sheep so that it can find food, but the moral lesson is about deceiving and trying to take advantage. In this specific illustration "Terrence Morash" shows pictures of a man giving candy to a kid to catch his attention and his interest which really shows you what a fable is about.
In Emily Dickerson's poem "The Wind" she uses personification as a metaphor. In this poem she giving the wind human like qualities. In the first stanza it reads "The wind tapped like a tired man, and like a host, "Come in" i boldly answered." In this line she makes it seem like she is having a conversation with the wind. In another poem by Emily Dickerson titled "The Mountain" she blends a mix of personification and anthropomorphism. In the second stanza it reads "The seasons prayed around his knees, like children round a sire: Grandfather of the day is he, of dawn the ancestor." The example of anthropomorphism in this excerpt of the poem is when she says hat the seasons prayed around his knees. The example of personification is also in this same excerpt when she says "Around his knees" which indicates that the mountain is a man.
In the poem "l(a" by e e Cummings he is using direct metaphor. After we turn the mix of letters and punctuation into a statement it reads "Loneliness, (a leaf falls)." After we understand the poem we get why he presented it in the matter of it looking like something is falling. He's indicating that when a leaf falls it falls by itself to the ground and then lands by itself so he is saying that the leaf is lonely. Now I understand the poem i think it really is brilliant the way he presented the poem. If the letters were presented in a normal state no one will know where to start but since he put the letters and punctuation looking like they were falling it gives us a better idea.
Metaphors are a form of literature that we use in everyday life even when we do it subconsciously. A metaphor that applies to me is "A Garden" cause relationships really are like growing fruits and vegetables. We watch the progress as the relationship grows, blooms, and starts producing. A common metaphor i use is "A roller coaster" cause it really does remind us of something going up and down just like life goes but we still go along until the ride is over. Metaphors are made for us to get a better understanding or to be used as a comparison that resembles an example of what were feeling or going through.
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