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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 1
Explanation and Analysis—The Veil of Childhood:
In Chapter 1, Helen uses a metaphor that likens her reluctance to write to a veil that covers her childhood memories:
It is with a kind of fear that I begin to write the history of my life. I have, as it were, a superstitious hesitation in lifting the veil that clings about my childhood like a golden mist. The task of writing an autobiography is a difficult one.
Related Themes:
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Valley of Solitude:
At the end of Chapter 2, Helen writes that she and her sister Mildred existed for a while in a "valley of twofold solitude," which is a metaphor for their initial relationship:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Thus it is that when we walk in the valley of twofold solitude we know little of the tender affections that grow out of endearing words and actions and companionship. But afterward, when I was restored to my human heritage, Mildred and I grew into each other’s hearts, so that we were content to go hand-in-hand wherever caprice led us, although she could not understand my finger language, nor I her childish prattle.
Related Themes:
