Extended Metaphor: Life is a journey RIT 230

"Exploring the Power of Extended Metaphors in Literature: Understanding the Art of Comparisons"

In the study of literature, students examine the purpose, structure, and devices used by authors to create meaning in their works. This includes analyzing the elements of a story such as plot, character, theme, and setting, as well as identifying and evaluating literary devices such as symbolism, metaphor, and foreshadowing to better understand the author's craft.

Title: "The Bird of Hope"

Hope is often compared to a bird in literature, a metaphor that suggests the fragility and fleeting nature of hope. In this poem, the author uses this extended metaphor to explore the theme of hope and its impact on individuals.

The bird of hope flies high in the sky, with its wings spread wide. It sings a sweet melody that fills the air with optimism and promises of better things to come. The bird’s song is a symbol of hope, a beacon of light in times of darkness and despair.

Throughout the poem, the author uses vivid imagery to convey the bird’s flight and the beauty of its song. The bird is described as soaring through the clouds, its wings glinting in the sun. The bird’s song is described as a gentle breeze that lifts the spirits of all who hear it.

However, the poem also acknowledges the fragility of hope. The bird’s flight is described as uncertain and perilous, with the possibility of falling at any moment. The author uses this to convey the idea that hope can be fleeting and easily lost.

In the end, the poem concludes that despite the bird’s fragility, it is still worth pursuing. The hope it represents is worth holding onto, even if it may falter at times. The bird’s song may fade, but it can be found again if we keep searching for it.

Questions:

• What is the extended metaphor used throughout the poem?
• How is the bird of hope described in the poem?
• What does the bird's song represent in the poem?
• What is the message conveyed about the fragility of hope in the poem?
• How does the poem conclude regarding the pursuit of hope?

Answers:

• The extended metaphor used throughout the poem is the comparison of hope to a bird.
• The bird of hope is described as flying high in the sky with its wings spread wide, singing a sweet melody that fills the air with optimism and promises of better things to come.
• The bird's song represents hope, a symbol of light in times of darkness and despair.
• The poem acknowledges the fragility of hope, conveying the idea that it can be fleeting and easily lost.
• The poem concludes that despite the fragility of hope, it is still worth pursuing, and the hope it represents is worth holding onto, even if it may falter at times.

Extended Metaphor: Life is a journey

Denotation: This metaphor suggests that the experience of life is like embarking on a journey, with its own set of challenges and destinations.

Example: Just as a traveler must navigate through rough terrains, experience unforeseen setbacks and make difficult choices, life too presents its own set of challenges. Like a traveler, one must keep moving forward and adjust to the obstacles that come along the way. The destination may be unknown, but the journey is what defines one's life.

One example of an extended metaphor from history is Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. In the speech, he used the metaphor of cashing a check to describe the unfulfilled promise of equality in America:

"When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked 'insufficient funds.'"

Another historical example of an extended metaphor is from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. In the speech, Lincoln compared the Civil War to a great battle that was being fought for a noble cause:

"It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."