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Friday, April 15, 2011

Metaphor

If you're just joining me on the April A to Z Challenge, welcome and thank you for visiting. I've organized my A to Z posts around a dictionary of literary devices. I give a definition, an example from literature, and then I take a stab at each entry in the My Try heading. You can follow the ongoing story of our heroine, Netty, by going back to April 1st and reading forward through all of the My Trys. Or you can just enjoy today's example. Please take the time to leave a try of your own in the comments.

Metaphor: Some people do not know whata meta is phor. They think it is like or as a simile. That makes me si-mile. In truth, we use metaphors every day without even realizing we're doing it. For example, if we say we're climbing the ladder of success, we're speaking in metaphor. A metaphor is created by having one thing represent, or stand for, another. In its purest form, it is the practice of analogy or comparison by implying that one object is another.

An Example from Literature: Enid Bagnold in National Velvet 

"The rain came down in long knitting needles."


My Try: Netty's hands trembled. The white envelope, truth with the flap sealed shut, crinkled in her grasp. Open only upon my death, was scrawled in hasty lettering on the front. Her mama wasn't exactly dead, but Netty knew that after all these years her mama wasn't coming back. The envelope held answers; it held secrets. A whispered, hoarse voice urged her to rip open the truth and let it out. But then, if she did, it could never be put back again into its neat and tidy package. AnnaBelle Mae looked on from the sliver in the kitchen door and watched while the thunder rolled. Rain is acomin', she thought.

Show us whata meta is phor. Leave your own metaphor as a comment.

(This blog post is brought to you as a part of the April A to Z Challenge.)

April 16th - Nom de plume

5 comments:

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

A very good explanation of the meetaphor.

Yvonne.

Susie Swanson said...

Definitely a good example. Loved it!

Dawn M. Hamsher said...

My attempt:
My sports car was a rocket on a test launch, flying through the night.

Crystal Pistol said...

Her backside was a quivering bowl of tapioca pudding.

mike said...

A metaphor is like a simile, ain't it? Or is a simile like a metaphor? Hmmmm.