Literary terms · AP English Literature, AP English Language, SAT Reading and Writing, ACT Reading
Metaphor
Also called: Simile
Metaphor: A figure of speech that describes one thing as if it were another, without using like or as, to suggest a resemblance.
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What it means
A metaphor transfers qualities from one thing (the vehicle) to another (the tenor). Calling grief 'a tide' suggests it comes in waves, recedes and returns. Metaphors can be brief or extended across a whole passage or poem.
A simile makes a comparison explicit with like or as. Both are analyzed the same way: by asking which qualities are transferred and why they matter.
Example
'The city was a held breath' suggests tension, stillness and expectation, as if something is about to happen.
On the exam
Say what the metaphor implies and how it shapes the reader's understanding, ideally connecting it to other images in the text.