A famous example of a symbol in literature occurs in To Kill a Mockingbird, when Atticus tells his children Jem and Scout that it's a sin to kill a mockingbird because mockingbirds cause no harm to anyone they just sing. Symbolism: Symbolism is a literary device in which a writer uses one thing-usually a physical object or phenomenon-to represent something more abstract.The repeated use of the same metaphor in multiple places throughout a text does not make it an example of an extended metaphor an extended metaphor must contain different tenors and vehicles, that together fit into the metaphor of the overarching tenor and vehicle. For instance, in Shakespeare's Othello, the image of a monster is used several times throughout the book as a metaphor for jealousy. Recurring metaphors: An extended metaphor is not just a single metaphor that repeats throughout a text.Here are a couple things that people often-and understandably-confuse for extended metaphors: People often use the term extended metaphor to refer to things that aren't actually extended metaphors. Within the overarching metaphor of "life is a highway," several other metaphors make up the extended metaphor, and each one has its own tenor and vehicle: the various stages of life are like the varied landscapes of a large country the challenges of life are like car troubles friends are like road maps. Friends are the roadmaps that help you get where you're going. Sometimes your car breaks down or you run out of gas, and sometimes you get lost. Life is a highway that takes us through green pastures, vast deserts, and rocky mountains. Let's continue to use the example from above: The Structure of Extended MetaphorsĮxtended metaphors have a main tenor and vehicle that make up the overarching or primary metaphor, but they also make use of other tenors and vehicles as the metaphor becomes more elaborate. The "Life is a highway" metaphor takes the attributes of a highway-including its association with journeys, adventures, speed, and the fact that we all travel them side-by-side-and connects them to life. The metaphor operates by borrowing key attributes from the vehicle and attributing them to the tenor. The vehicle is the thing to which the tenor is compared.įor instance, in the metaphor " Life is a highway," life is the tenor because it's the thing being described, while "highway" is the vehicle because it's the thing life is being compared to.The tenor is the thing a metaphor describes.Here's how to pronounce extended metaphor: ex- tend-id met-uh-fore Extended Metaphors in DepthĪll metaphors can be broken down into two elements: a tenor and a vehicle. The terms "conceit" and "extended metaphor" can be used interchangeably, though "conceit" is also sometimes used in an even more specialized way than "extended metaphor" is.Rather, extended metaphors are figurative-they create meaning beyond the literal meanings of their words. For instance, nobody is suggesting that life is literally a highway when they use that common metaphor.
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