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Imagery
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
The Things They Carried
Explanation and Analysis—Freedom Birds:
Toward the end of "The Things They Carried," O'Brien introduces the reader to one of the soldiers' shared fantasies: freedom birds. In a long paragraph, which teems with metaphor, simile, imagery, and alliteration, the narrator describes bird-like jets that carry the men away from Vietnam, "beyond duty, beyond gravity and mortification and global entanglements." While this fantasy clearly appeals to the soldiers for a number of reasons, it revolves around a core dream: that of being carried rather than carrying.
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On the Rainy River
Explanation and Analysis—Fear and Escape:
"On the Rainy River" is full of similes and metaphors capturing O'Brien's fear of the war and urge to evade conscription. In the story, he contrasts his former understanding of courage—that he would step up and behave "like the heroes of our youth" when the need arose—with the crippling fear, rage, and numbness that he feels after being conscripted. Over the course of the story, O'Brien's situation, emotions, and surroundings are compared to things that are loaded with negative connotation.
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Speaking of Courage
Explanation and Analysis—Deep, Oozy Soup:
In "Speaking of Courage," Bowker drives around the lake in his hometown, thinking back to the night Kiowa died. He uses metaphor and imagery to liken the swampy field to a boiling soup. Throughout the story, the field in his flashback contrasts with the lake next to him. At times, the two seem to flow into each other, as past intermingles with present in Bowker's thoughts and in the narration.
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The Ghost Soldiers
Explanation and Analysis—Leaking:
When O'Brien has a flashback to being shot in "The Ghost Soldiers," he uses figurative language to describe the physical sensations in his body. By way of similes and metaphors, he compares his gunshot wound to spilling, leaking, and becoming hollow.
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