Literary Device
Figurative language, as was mentioned in Lesson 8, explains one concept or
item with another in order to clarify the first. The metaphor is one such literary
device practiced in this lesson. Like a simile, a metaphor compares two items; but
instead of saying one thing is “like” another, it treats the one as if it is the other.
For example:
Flowing water sliced through the dike.
The farmer touched the hot fence to see if the juice was flowing.
The student should note that metaphorical wording does not use “like” or “as”.
The writer of the above sentences does not spell out that water is acting like a
knife, or that an electrified fence feels like it is hot, or that voltage is as juice.
Instead, he leaves it up to the reader’s mind to connect each pair of concepts.
Metaphors occur frequently and can be found in a variety of parts of speech.
The student should study the following chart to become familiar with some of the many uses of metaphors.