A metaphor is a word or phrase that describes something in a way that isn’t literally true yet works to help our understanding by way of providing comparison. A metaphor refers to someone or something to show that they are alike.An indirect metaphor, also known as an implied metaphor, suggests a comparison between two unlike things without explicitly stating that one is the other. Instead, the comparison is implied or hinted at, often through the use of non-literal verbs or descriptions.

Direct vs. Indirect:

Direct metaphors explicitly state the comparison, like “Life is a journey.”

Indirect metaphors, on the other hand, suggest the comparison, like “The path ahead was treacherous,” where the journey is implied but not directly stated.

Implied Comparisons:

Implied metaphors don’t use the verb “to be” (like direct metaphors often do) to connect the two things. Instead, they use words and phrases that suggest the comparison, leaving the reader or listener to make the connection.

Examples:

“The wind howled a mournful song” (implying the wind is like a person).

“Harry crumbled under the pressure.” it’s implied the man couldn’t cope with pressure, by comparing him to something that easily falls apart like a cake, bread, cheese.

“Tony tucked his tail and ran.” Compares Tony to a scared dog. “Jennifer purred over the lavish present.” Compares Jennifer to a cat.

“Harry squawked when the teacher ordered him to detention.” Compares Harry to a bird.

Here are some examples of indirect metaphors in poetry:

• “I am the captain of my soul” (William Ernest Henley, “Invictus”):The speaker compares their soul to a ship, suggesting control and leadership, without explicitly stating the comparison.

• “The sun was a toddler insistently refusing to go to bed” (John Green, The Fault in Our Stars):This metaphor compares the sun’s late-night appearance to a child’s stubbornness.

• Hope” is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all – (Emily Dickinson):This poem uses a “thing with feathers” to represent hope, implying a bird without directly saying so.

• “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (Langston Hughes, “Mother to Son”):This extended metaphor compares the speaker’s life to a staircase, highlighting the challenges faced, but without explicitly saying “life is like a staircase”. They often are used to give a double meaning to poems.

Fire and Ice. Robert Frost.

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice

.From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

Fire and Ice’ explores how the world would end in destruction. It presents two different schools of thoughts; some people believe that the world will end in a fire while some say that it will end in ice. To him, if the world will be destroyed twice, ice would be more damaging than fire. Frost has used many implied metaphors in the poem to express his ideas. For example, “fire” stands for the desires and “ice” represents hate. Similarly, the destruction of the world is the metaphor for the end of relationships. It is through the appropriate use of these implied metaphors that he has made the poem thought-provoking for the readers.

An implied metaphor can add detail to a sentence without adding to the word count. it can add to the imagery of a piece or can add more detail.

Mary B