Types of Metaphor

In a general sense, metaphor can refer to any figurative use of language (any trope or stylistic device) where one thing stands for or represents another. Sometimes the term metaphor is used to refer to any figurative use of language. Different literary critics define the term more widely or narrowly, and it is often used loosely in discussion of literature.

Simile

the comparison of two objects or ideas using like or as.

Metaphor

the identification of two objects or ideas (without using like or as). Often a metaphor uses construction X is Y to compare two objects, but writers can also avoid using the passive verb 'to be' and rely on describing one object in terms of another in an extended metaphor.

Analogy

an extended comparison. The writer goes into detail about how two things are similar. They may also be very dissimilar in other respects, but the writer points out similarities in order to make a point.

Allegory

one thing, character, or idea is substituted for another. There is a direct one to one correspondence between the characters or images and an idea or event. Usually an allegory involves a pattern of substitutions, thus involves more than one idea or concept. Animal Farm is a political allegory. The Faerie Queene is a religious allegory. So is Everyman, where each of the characters all represent an idea.

Symbol

an element of a story or poem that represents a larger, more abstract concept. So a rose might symbolize love. A Symbol differs from allegory because there is not as well-defined or direct a relationship between the images and the ideas. Symbol differs from metaphor and simile because the concept to which the image refers is outside the work. The term, symbol, comes from the Greek, to put together, and derives from two halves of a coin that were used to cement an agreement: each party took one half. In general, a symbol can be any technique used to link two things.

Personification

giving human qualities to animals, inanimate objects, or abstractions. This technique can be a way to explore abstract concepts and bring them to life.

Paradox

linking very dissimilar things in a metaphor. We have also discussed this in terms of negative capability, bringing the opposite images together at the end of a poem. Rather than resolving the tensions, allowing them to coexist.

A Few Other Methods for Drawing Connections

Juxtaposition

simply putting images, ideas, characters in close proximity in a poem or story can invite comparison even though it is never stated explicitly.

Rhyme or alliteration

Using poetic techniques like rhyme, alliteration, etc. Can draw connections between similar sounding words even if the concepts they represent are very different. These techniques can help make a paradox seem more real.

Parallelism

Using parallel grammatical structures in a poem or a story invites comparison between the words that occur in the same place within that structure.