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Irony
Definition of Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor can be stated explicitly, as... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other... read full definition
Act 2
Explanation and Analysis—Bed of Roses:
In Act 2, Vivie gets into a vicious argument with her mother about Mrs. Warren's past as a sex worker. In response to her daughter's upset, Mrs. Warren attempts to explain her point of view. In part of her justification, she utilizes both simile and metaphor to describe the realities of sex work to Vivie:
MRS WARREN. But she has to bear with disagreeables and take the rough with the smooth, just like a nurse in a hospital or anyone else. It's not work that any woman would do for pleasure, goodness knows; though to hear the pious people talk you would suppose it was a bed of roses.
Related Themes:
Act 4
Explanation and Analysis—Breath of Spring:
In Act 4, Frank confronts Mrs. Warren about her relationship with her daughter, claiming that he despises Mrs. Warren's profession and will not stand to see Vivie associate with her any longer. Frank views Vivie as a vulnerable innocent—a good girl by nature whose purity and chastity are corrupted by her proximity to her mother. He makes this point of view clear through the use of metaphor:
Unlock with LitCharts A+FRANK. My dear Mrs Warren: suppose you were a sparrow—ever so tiny and pretty a sparrow
hopping in the roadway—and you saw a steam roller coming in your direction, would you wait for
it?MRS WARREN. Oh, dont bother me with your sparrows. What did she run away from
Haslemere like that for?
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Words:
In Act 4, Shaw uses metaphorical language to describe the effect Mrs. Warren's profession has on her daughter, even when the name of her profession remains unspoken. Vivie does not say the words, yet she hears them and feels them on her tongue, the weight and sound of what remains unsaid hanging heavy between herself and her mother:
Unlock with LitCharts A+VIVIE. The two infamous words that describe what my mother is are ringing in my ears and struggling on my tongue; but I can't utter them: the shame of them is too horrible for me.
Related Themes:
