The Metaphor
Natasha Thomas-Francis, Contributor

Hello all. Today, I would like us to take a closer look at the metaphor. A writer uses a metaphor when he/she compares one thing, object or person to another. It is different from the simile in that the simile says one thing is like another. The metaphor says one thing is another. The comparison is implied. Metaphors invite us to discover similarities between one thing and another. This device appeals to our five senses, our emotions and our powers of thinking. Consider the following stanza from a poem titled Apartment House by Gerald Raftery:

A filing-cabinet of human lives

Where people swarm like bees in tunnelled hives,

Each to his own cell in the towered comb,

Identical and cramped - we call it home.

The poet is comparing an apartment house (building) to a filing cabinet as well as a bee hive. The comparison paints a picture of many people living in the same place, but occupying a particular small space in the apartment house.

Take a look at the following metaphors. Try to explain each:

1. Tom's temper flared when he heard that his house was ransacked.

2. The night was a ribbon of moonlight on the sandy beach.

3. I gazed intently at the red lurid wreckage of the sunset smouldering in the west.

4. The water's surface mirrored the palms that grew by the edge of the pond.

5. I fall upon the thorns of life; I bleed.

Now let us look at the following poem. How many metaphors can you identify?

Silver Wedding (by Vernon Scannell)

The party is over and I sit among

The flotsam that its passing leaves,

The dirty glasses and fag-ends:

Outside, a black wind grieves.

Two decades and a half of marriage;

It does not really seem as long,

And yet I find I have scant knowledge

Of youth's ebullient song.

David, my son, my loved rival,

And Julia, my tapering daughter,

Now grant me one achievement only:

I turn their wine to water.

And Helen, partner of all these years,

Helen, my spouse, my sack of sighs,

Reproaches me for every hurt

With injured, bovine eyes.

There must have been passion once, I grant,

But neither she nor I could bear

To have its ghost come prowling from

Its dark and frowsy lair.

And we, to keep our nuptials warm,

Still wage sporadic, fire-side war;

Numb with insult each yet strives

To scratch the other raw.

Twenty-five years we've now survived;

I'm not sure either why or how

As I sit a wreath of quarrels set

On my tired and balding brow.

• flotsam (line 2) - wreckage found floating
• fag-ends (line 3) - cigarette butts
• ebullient (line 8) - exuberant, high-spirited

The persona in this poem is quite dissatisfied with his marriage; he seems to be merely enduring it. Even though the poem begins with reference to a silver wedding anniversary celebration, there are several images of death, signifying the end of his relationship with his wife.

I have provided an explanation for five of the metaphors in the poem:

• The party is over and I sit among/The flotsam that its passing leaves (lines 1-2)

The flotsam refers to the garbage (dirty glasses, cigarette butts) that has been left after the anniversary celebration.

• And yet I find I have scant knowledge/Of youth's ebullient song (lines 7-8)

Youth's ebullient song refers to the happy times the couple shared in the early stages of their marriage.

• David, my son, my loved rival (line 9)

This suggests that his son, David, is a challenge to him. He shares a contentious relationship with his son.

• I turn their wine to water (line 12)

This is an example of biblical allusion when Jesus turned the water into wine at a wedding, which made the guests happy. This line suggests, however, that the persona makes his children feel miserable.

• Helen, my spouse, my sack of sighs (line 14)

The persona's wife, Helen, has become a burden to him (a sack normally contains a load).

Now, you try to explain the other metaphors found in the poem:

• ...bovine eyes (line 16)
• There must have been passion once.../To have its ghost come prowling from/Its dark and frowsy lair. (lines 17-20)
• And we, to keep our nuptials warm,/Still wage sporadic, fire-side war (lines 21-22)
• To scratch the other raw (line 24)
• As I sit a wreath of quarrels set/On my tired and balding brow (lines 27-28)

Do have a productive week! Blessings!

Natasha Thomas-Francis teaches at Glenmuir High School. Send questions and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com