What is a Metaphor — 8 Ways to Create Meaning with Comparison

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What is a Metaphor — a complete guide to the art of metaphor, including eight different types, how they work, and how writers can use them to create meaning through comparison.

What is a Metaphor? ►►
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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to Metaphors
00:55 - Metaphor Definition and History
03:19 - Direct/Standard Metaphor
03:47 - Simile
05:13 - Implied Metaphor
06:26 - Extended Metaphor
07:45 - Controlling Metaphor
08:48 - Mixed Metaphor
09:36 - Dead Metaphor
10:05 - Visual Metaphor
12:35 - Takeaways

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WHAT IS A METAPHOR

Metaphors are deceptively simple. We use them all the time in our everyday conversations. And yet there is a strict definition for “What is a metaphor” that most people aren’t aware of. For the average person, there is no pressing need to understand the art of metaphor, but the same cannot be said for writers. In this video, we’re going to define metaphor, the eight different types, how they work, and how writers can add them to their literary arsenal.

METAPHOR DEFINITION

Let’s start with a metaphor definition. A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares an object to another object with similar characteristics. It uses conjugations of “to be” like “I am,” “She is,” or “They are.” For example, “love is a battlefield.” Four elements are necessary to create a metaphor: the tenor, the vehicle, the ground, and the tension. The tenor is the subject in question (love), and the vehicle is the object of comparison (battlefield). The ground is what these two things have in common (both can be treacherous endeavors), and the tension makes them distinct (love is an emotion, while battlefields are sites of physical conflict).

“Love is a battlefield” is the standard, pure type of metaphor, but there are many others to explain.

TYPES OF METAPHORS

SIMILE VS METAPHOR
A simile is a type of metaphor that uses qualifiers such as “like” or “as” to make comparisons. For example, when Shrek proclaims that “Ogres are like onions.”

IMPLIED METAPHOR
An implied metaphor makes a comparison, but it’s more implicit. For example, in Whiplash, a character says, “Don’t worry about Fletcher. He’s more bark than bite.” Fletcher is being compared to a dog without saying exactly that.

EXTENDED METAPHOR
An extended metaphor is a comparison expressed over many lines. Perhaps the most famous example would be, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women are merely players…” from Shakespeare’s As You Like It.

DEAD METAPHOR
A dead metaphor is a metaphor that has been overused and turned into a cliche. Examples of these would include “You’re breaking my heart” and “Time is running out.”

CONTROLLING METAPHOR
A controlling metaphor is used throughout the story, often to speak the overall theme. In Turning Red, Mei turning into a giant red panda is a metaphor for the pains of puberty.

MIXED METAPHOR
A mixed metaphor combines two comparisons incorrectly. For example, “The early bird gathers no moss.”

VISUAL METAPHOR
Finally, a visual metaphor is simply a comparison made visually. This can be done in a single image (like fireworks exploding during a romantic moment) or between images, like Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein intercut strikers being killed with cattle being slaughtered.

As you can see, the art of metaphor has wide-ranging implications. A writer or filmmaker can inject extra layers of meaning into their dialogue and imagery, adding sophistication and nuance to their work.


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♬ SONGS USED:

“Go” by Makeup and Vanity Set
“Choke” by Makeup and Vanity Set
Keep Moving by Makeup and Vanity Set
The Wanderer by Makeup and Vanity Set
Quantum IV by Makeup and Vanity Set
The Corridor by Makeup and Vanity Set
Only Fire by Makeup and Vanity Set
Discovery by Makeup and Vanity Set
“Ciclo” by Makeup and Vanity Set
“Tannhäuser Gate” by Makeup and Vanity Set
“Once Upon A Storybook Love” by Mark Knopfler
“Reborn” by Branford Nyght
“Blackmail” by Nathan Johnson
“Turning Panda” by Ludwig Göransson
“Nonplus” by Makeup and Vanity Set
“Royal Blue” by Makeup and Vanity Set
“I Know There’s Good In Him” by John Williams
“Dead Already” by Thomas Newman
“Crush” by Makeup and Vanity Set
“Collapse” by Makeup and Vanity Set
“Life is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane

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