Simple Metaphor

It’s a frustrating place to be in, isn’t it? When you’ve spent countless hours on an article for the school’s paper, only to end up feeling bored and discontented by your own write-up. Truth is, using words in its plain form is not enough to draw attention. It must possess a splash of personality for it to provoke interest. You need to add something fun and exciting in order to compel an audience. And how better to do so than with a good metaphor?

A metaphor is used to imply comparison between two objects that aren’t completely alike, but do have something in common. It provides a visual description to a word or thought, allowing one to imagine such in its figurative sense.

Purpose of Metaphors

If we could refer to people, objects, and situations in its natural words, then why do we use metaphors to express emotions?

We all know how metaphors are used in poems, stories, and other forms of literature. They add colors to our language, making our words seem more flavorful than they actually are. Metaphors make things a lot more interesting, often allowing us to ponder more on a given thought. Imagine how bland literary pieces and journals would be if metaphors never existed. It would be difficult for authors to attain the desired effect with just mere objective statements. Metaphors spark emotions, allowing us to magnify the way we feel about everything around us.  These are exaggerated expressions that are used to convey a thought in a forceful manner.

8 Examples of Metaphors

1. Love is a battlefield.

Love is simple, but people make it complicated. It’s not an actual battlefield of violence and fear rather, it’s a battlefield in a sense that you’re meant to put up a fight for those who mean the most to you. It talks about how we use our words as weapons, and the damage caused by wrong decisions. It’s the courage we posses to enter such “battlefield” with the uncertainty of coming out victorious at the very end.

2. I am titanium.

Does this famous line ring a bell? It’s from David Guetta and Sia’s chart-topping song, Titanium. Based from its lyrics, titanium refers to the strength to withstand every obstacle that comes your way. We aren’t exactly a chemical element with atomic number 22 but among other things, we are strong individuals who have the power to survive even the toughest challenges life has to offer.

3. The clouds are balls of cotton.

Let’s face it, we’re all guilty of thinking clouds were simply cotton gracing the morning sky when we were children. In reality, clouds and cotton balls are only similar in appearance and not in the components they are made of. But there’s no harm in using this metaphor despite your basic knowledge about clouds, especially when it’s nothing more than an innocent statement we’d like to believe in.

4. Time is money.

Time is money, especially when it comes to business. Every minute could mean another win or an unfortunate loss for a business. But don’t take this literally, as this refers to the corporate operations that occur behind the scenes. If a company’s one and only delivery van fails to run for a day or two, then this could then delay the whole process and therefore cause the business a significant loss in sales.

5. You are my sunshine.

Scientific studies would tell us that there is really only one sun that our planet relies on. And no, we’re not talking about your significant other. When we refer to another individual as our sunshine, it means that we consider them to be the light during our darkest days. Metaphors are great for when we want people to understand how much they mean to us, and there’s nothing like using flowery words to make the heart flutter.

6. He is a walking dictionary.

We all know that one person who knows just about everything that sometimes, defining them as intelligent individuals would be an understatement. There is also the type of people who seem to know a lot of deep, complex words that we never knew existed. While it may not be a part of our daily vocabulary, they seem to use these words in sentences nonchalantly. Regardless of the “walking dictionary” reference, these are definitely the kind of people you’d want to sit next to during exams.

7. You’re a firework.

Fireworks are beautiful, to say the least. The enchanting display of colors can leave just about anyone in awe. So calling someone a firework has to be one of the greatest compliments you could ever give. It has the ability to uplift a person’s character, proving how we can all shine brighter than the moon in the night sky, regardless of who we are and how we might be perceived as.

8. It’s been a real circus at home since the holidays began.

Have you ever been to a circus? With the lions, acrobats, and clowns? Then you might know how chaotic it can be. The holidays is one of the busiest seasons of the year, so it comes as no surprise how you could compare such to a circus parade — minus the freak show, of course.

How to Make Your Own Metaphor

It’s easy to come up with metaphors, especially if you have a wild, crazed-out imagination to begin with. But a good metaphor is one that isn’t too obvious. It has to be something that’s difficult to take literally but clever enough for one to contemplate on. Although metaphors are meant to exaggerate the general meaning of a word or thought, a person should still be able to interpret it for what it really is. In order to make a metaphor, you must learn to be creative with your choice of words. It needs to come out naturally. Otherwise, you might just end up sounding awkward and weird.

So the next time you want to add some life to your writing, try giving it that extra flair with the help of a well-crafted metaphor. This is sure to keep your readers engrossed all throughout your literary piece.