Metaphor: definition, meaning & effect

A metaphor is a linguistic image. In the German lyric, drama and epic it is one of the most popular and widespread rhetorical stylistic device. This stylistic figure of the German language is often about the «imagery» of facts. Conditions are thus represented visually. The image and expression are connected to each other through special properties.

metaphor – function

The metaphor replaces the term actually meant by another linguistic expression and offers a pictorial twist for an object, a property or an event. It will be one linguistic transmission of meaning accomplished. Two areas are connected that do not actually belong together.

Metaphors, like metonymy and irony, are among the tropics.

Explanation:

• The term actually meant: the rain forests of the earth. The rain forests of the earth ensure that people have enough air to breathe, which is why the term lung here represents the connection to the respiratory organ. The term actually meant (rain forests) was replaced by a pictorial object (green lung). The metaphor jumps from one area of ​​imagination to another and therefore belongs to the so-called «jumping tropes».

• Linguistic expression / metaphor: the green lung, which stands for the rainforest. What is said (the lung) belongs to a different content area than what is meant (the rainforest). Readers expect the organ when they hear the word «lung» and have to deduce from the context what is actually meant. Only when this connection is clear can the picture be understood. The contradiction between the original meaning and what is actually meant ultimately combines both into one image.

use of metaphor

If you have one normal expression through a replace pictorial expression you can help yourself with this stylistic device. With the help of metaphors, feelings or events can often be better explained or interpreted.

Explanation:

• The heart is used here as an image to illustrate the emotional state.Metaphors are often used in everyday life. This includes idioms and proverbs that are passed down through generations.

Explanation:

• Here, «giving the water» does not mean the giving of water. Rather, the point is that the opponent does not come up against the speaker. The opponent’s skills are correspondingly worse than those of the speaker.

Explanation:

• Here it is expressed that the person has embarked on an almost impossible task. Anyone who has ever seen a haystack can imagine how difficult it must be to find a needle in it.

Explanation:

• This sentence makes it clear that a person assesses the current situation too positively. The truth is perceived positively distorted. People who are newly in love are often said to wear rose-tinted glasses.

Peculiarities of the metaphor

synesthesia

as special shape the metaphor applies synesthesia. It connects different senses, for example tones and colors:

polysemy

You will find metaphors in many literary texts. It is not easy to interpret them, because the content areas of what is said and what is meant are different and are often not clear at first glance. Although there are many metaphors that you know from everyday life, poets like to invent new metaphors. They make their texts ambiguous. This is also called polysemy.

As a reader, you are faced with the challenge of understanding the picture in the given context. However, the most important thing is not to find out how the poet means the picture. Much more important is how you interpret it with your imagination and fantasy. Especially in poetics, metaphors aim at one ambiguity (polysemy).

Metaphor – demarcation

The metaphor is closely related to the allegory and the symbol. The differences are minimal and sometimes not so easy to spot.

allegory

Explanation:

• An allegory is considered continued metaphor. She often performs as personification on, which clarifies an abstract concept. The goddess Justitia for justice, the god Cupid for love.

symbol

Explanation:

• The symbol is a single character that represents an abstract concept. The four-leaf clover stands for luck, the cross for Christianity. It is a symbol of something that is known to everyone and is always associated with the abstract concept. So it’s general.

Metaphor – effect

A metaphor shows a difficult situation as a pictorial form. The metaphor thus clarifies what is known and makes it easier to understand. The reader should «metaphorically» see the light.

Soil science in biology class: The biology teacher compares the nutrient-rich soil to a bank account. It is now easier for the students to understand as they are more familiar with the concept of an account:

Understanding metaphors is often not easy. You have to connect what is said and what is meant from two different areas. This goes beyond the visual imagination. In order to connect both areas of content (what is said and what is meant), you need to know both areas and develop an understanding of what could be meant.

In addition, there are also many metaphors that you are familiar with from everyday life. These immediately create an image in your head. Metaphors activate emotions and imagination and they promote knowledge. Analyzing a metaphor can open up a wide field of meaning (polysemy) for you.