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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
Chapter 3: Beauty
Explanation and Analysis—Times of Day as Places:
Emerson metaphorically categorizes each time of day as a kingdom in order to emphasize their unique virtues:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The dawn is my Assyria; the sun-set and moon-rise my Paphos, and unimaginable realms of faerie, broad noon shall be my England of the senses and the understanding; the night shall be my Germany of mystic philosophy and dreams.
Related Themes:
Chapter 4: Language
Explanation and Analysis—Nature as Metaphor:
Emerson invokes several common metaphors involving nature to substantiate his theory that nature teaches us conceptual language:
Unlock with LitCharts A+An enraged man is a lion, a cunning man is a fox, a firm man is a rock, a learned man is a torch. A lamb is innocence; a snake is subtle spite; flowers express to us the delicate affections. Light and darkness are our familiar expression for knowledge and ignorance; and heat for love. Visible distance behind and before us, is respectively our image of memory and hope.
Related Themes:
Chapter 5: Discipline
Explanation and Analysis—Moral Law as Marrow:
In the following metaphor, Emerson compares pith (the spinal tissue or the central material in the stem of a plant) and bone marrow to the moral law in order to convey how central ethics are to life and existence:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The moral law lies at the center of nature and radiates to the circumference. It is the pith and marrow of every substance, every relation, and every process.
