Metaphors

Week 7

Agen
da
I. Warm-Up
II. What is Metaphor
III. Examples of Metaphor
IV. Song Stairway to
Heaven
V. Video Importance of
Metaphor

Metaphor is a figure of speech that is used to paint one concept

with the attributes normally associated with another.
We compare things and say they are virtually the same:
"X is a metaphor for Y" means that Y is painted with the attributes of
X.
Metaphor is one of the most common figures of speech and many
words have their origin in metaphor
Metaphors are seen as very powerful tools because they allow for the
expression of abstract principles by reference to concretes. (Facts
versus Opinions)
They can also be dangerous to understanding, in that people may fail
to recognize the figurative nature of a metaphor, and come to take it
literally.
Literal: true to fact; not exaggerated; actual or factual.
Figurative: represented by a figure or resemblance; symbolic or
emblematic.

"Bill is a cunning old fox"

we are comparing Bill to a fox and we are saying they are both cunning.

Mary is a sheep, just following everyone else

where we are comparing Mary to a sheep and saying they are similar becau
they both follow.
The guy is a rock.
Certainty is a solid. (See: drifter, airhead).
I'm comfortable with my decision.
The mind is a physical thing. Mental pain = physical pain.
Stubborn stains!
A stain has a will of its own. Objects think.
It was a half-baked idea.
Ideas progress in edibility, and must be fully baked to be of value.
Thought is the
heat that develops ideas.
Food for thought.
The mind is hungry, and eats
ideas.

 He had a coarse manner of

speech.
Her voice is beginning to grate
on me.
I hear you're feeling rough!
The velvet voice of Bing Crosby.
His speech was peppered with
vitriol.
A painful lesson in life.
He was being pressured to
decide.
Love stinks!
The sweet smell of
success.
The stench of failure.
That man reeks of
infidelity!

Only shades of grey.

A colorful remark.
Deep dark secret.
A rainbow of flavors.
An infinite spectrum of
possibilities.
A brilliant idea!
A bright idea.

Boiling mad.
A feverish pace.
I'm so hot for her and she's
so cold.
Heated debate.
A warm reception.
A tepid speech.

Dreams
by Langston Hughes
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged
bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

Song Analysis
Listen and Read the lyrics of the song.
As you do this, make notes of the metaphors
that you see in the song.
After the song, you will work in groups to
identify the metaphors in the song.
You will also write down what you think they
mean.

Stairway to
Heaven
by Led Zepplin