The Daughters of the Late Colonel
by Katherine Mansfield

The Daughters of the Late Colonel: Metaphors 2 key examples

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

Key Examples in The Daughters of the Late Colonel

Metaphors
Explanation and Analysis—Ready to Spring:

Mansfield uses a metaphor that likens the Colonel’s lingering presence to a dangerous animal, to describe Josephine’s feelings of fear and discomfort at remaining in the Pinner house:

But how could she explain to Constantia that father was in the chest of drawers? He was in the top drawer with his handkerchiefs and neckties, or in the next with his shirts and pyjamas, or in the lowest of them all with his suits. He was watching there, hidden away–just behind the door-handle–ready to spring.

Explanation and Analysis—Camels Unwinding:

In this passage, the author uses a simile and a metaphor to depict Constantia's mental escape from an uncomfortable situation with Nurse Andrew at the dinner table:

But Constantia's long, pale face lengthened and set, and she gazed away—away—far over the desert, to where that line of camels unwound like a thread of wool. . .

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