Metaphor

Also called Extended metaphor

Saying one thing IS another, to borrow its qualities. Not a comparison — an assertion.

What it is

A metaphor describes something as if it were something else: "he was a wall", "the classroom was a zoo". It does not say *like* — that is a simile — it says *is*, and that difference is the point. A simile admits it is a comparison; a metaphor insists.

An extended metaphor keeps the same comparison running across several lines or a whole poem.

Where it applies

English Language and English Literature, in any question about how a writer creates an effect. It is the single most commonly identified technique and therefore the one most often wasted.

How it works

The reader is asked to carry qualities across from one thing to the other, and to work out which qualities. "He was a wall" borrows solidity, impassivity and blocking — not brickwork.

Which qualities transfer is not fixed. It depends on the rest of the text, and saying which ones and why is where the analysis lives.

How to use it in your work

Never stop at naming it. "The writer uses a metaphor" is worth nothing on any mark scheme.

Go: quote it, say what is being compared to what, say which quality transfers, then say what that makes the reader feel or understand. "Describing the crowd as 'a tide' makes it feel unstoppable and impersonal — a tide has no intention, so the violence reads as something that happens rather than something anyone chose."

If the metaphor is extended, track how it develops. A comparison that shifts halfway through a poem is doing more work than one that sits still, and noticing the shift is a higher-level point.

Where to get help

Your teacher, and your own exam board's specification — boards word the assessment objectives differently and yours is the one that marks you. Bitesize covers the techniques; the English exam survival song covers how to use them under time pressure.