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Metaphor Essay Metaphor

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A 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. Metaphors are one of the most common figures of speech found in literature. Not to be confused with similes; metaphors differ by not using words such as “like” or “as” in the comparing process. If you use them correctly, they can make visualizing and understanding a cake-walk for readers. Metaphors aren’t just used sentence by sentence. Sometimes whole paragraphs, stanzas, and even entire works of literature are metaphors. These are called “extended metaphors” Examples of extended metaphors can be found in “Romeo and Juliet”- where Romeo creates a trend of comparing Juliet to the sun saying things such as “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief.”-, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is just an elaborate metaphor about life and not following what everyone else does to create a more authentic life for yourself, and in “mother to son” by Langston Hughes- which compares a rough staircase to life and its challenges. Metaphors can be found everywhere using all different kinds of forms and lengths. During the puritan era it was common for writers to use religious metaphors. Whether the metaphor only lasted one line or engulfed the entire body of work, almost every story or poem referenced Christianity. Some of

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