Extended Metaphor | Definition & Examples
An extended metaphor is a literary device that serves the same purpose as a metaphor—to create a comparison—but uses several sentences, paragraphs, or even longer to do so.
A regular metaphor creates a simple, concise comparison in one line or sentence, while an extended metaphor does the same thing but uses more language to elaborate on the comparison with more complex ideas.
In this example, the extended metaphor compares hope to a lighthouse, where hope is strongest during our darkest times, and “rough seas” to the uncertainty of life.
What is an extended metaphor?
An extended metaphor takes the comparison of a regular metaphor and elaborates on the extra complexities that it entails. Unlike a regular metaphor, which is only one line long, an extended metaphor uses multiple sentences—or even an entire literary work—to create a more complex, elaborate, and nuanced comparison.
Extended metaphor: Life is a marathon. We go through it one step at a time, surpassing each mile marker like a milestone, with others encouraging us along the way.
Every metaphor—regular or extended—contains two parts: the tenor and the vehicle. The tenor is the root idea, and the vehicle is the second idea it’s compared to.
In the metaphor, “the classroom was a zoo,” the tenor is the classroom, and the vehicle is the zoo.
There are two main types of literary extended metaphors:
- An allegory is a narrative where settings, characters, or events represent something else to convey a symbolic meaning (e.g., Plato’s Allegory of the Cave).
- Conceit is an extended metaphor that compares two vastly different things in a creative or surprising way, often expressed throughout the entire length of a literary work (e.g., Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes).
How to write an extended metaphor
Writing an extended metaphor is a creative process. Follow these steps to create an extended metaphor:
- Identify the theme. This is the concept of your comparison. It’s the relationship between the tenor (the thing you’re describing) and the vehicle (what it compares to).
- Choose the tenor and vehicle. First choose the tenor, and then brainstorm and list everything it compares to.
- Create a list of similarities. Now that you have a list of vehicles, brainstorm how each is similar to the initial concept—the tenor.
- Choose the vehicle that best represents the comparison. Look through your list of vehicles and each of their shortlists of similarities to the tenor and choose which best represents your theme or concept.
- Write every comparison you can think of. Now that you’ve chosen your vehicle, list every way it compares to the tenor. (Ironically, creatively thinking about their differences can also spark some interesting comparisons.)
- Write the final version of the extended metaphor. Take the most important similarities and write them in a way that effectively expresses your extended metaphor.
The best metaphors are clear enough that the reader understands your point but complex enough to make them think.
Extended metaphor examples
In the poem “The Road Not Taken,” Robert Frost uses a fork in the road as a metaphor for life. The acknowledgment that he can’t travel both signifies that he has to make one of two choices, and the bend—long down the road beyond where he can see—represents that he doesn’t know where the road (or the choice he makes) will lead.
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
—Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken”
Extended metaphors sometimes take much longer than just a few short sentences to make their comparison. Some extended metaphors unfold over the course of an entire book.
In Invisible Man, Ellison uses the protagonist and his “invisibility” as an extended metaphor for societal exclusion and racial prejudice. Ellison describes the man as “invisible” not because he is actually invisible but rather because society refuses to see him for who he truly is. The metaphor is told over the course of the entire book, making his point that the people around the main character only see their own stereotypes and biases, effectively making him “invisible.”
Frequently asked questions about extended metaphors
- What is the difference between allegory and extended metaphor?
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Allegory and extended metaphors are similar but distinct.
An allegory uses characters, events, and settings to represent one or more comparisons throughout an entire story or work (e.g., Animal Farm by George Orwell).
An extended metaphor says that one thing is another thing and then elaborates by explaining how they are similar. For example, “Life is a journey. Each step takes us further, each turn opens to the unknown, and we sometimes stumble, but forward is the only direction.”
Scribbr’s free Paraphrasing Tool can help you find the perfect words to write your extended metaphors.
- What is the difference between an extended metaphor and a regular metaphor?
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An extended metaphor is similar to a metaphor in that they both compare two things.
A metaphor is a basic comparison made in one line or phrase (e.g., “You are my sunshine”).
An extended metaphor uses more language to elaborate on a more complex level (e.g., “You are my sunshine. You brighten my day, and your love gives me a warm feeling.”
Scribbr’s free Paraphrasing Tool can help you find the perfect words to write your extended metaphors.
- What is conceit in literature?
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A conceit in literature is when the author uses an extended metaphor to compare two very different things, often in a surprising way.
One example of a conceit is in John Donne’s poem “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,” where he compares two lovers to the two legs of a compass. While one leg spins, the fixed leg leans toward it, always connected.
Scribbr’s free Paraphrasing Tool can help you find the perfect words to write your extended metaphors.
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Cove, R. (2024, October 30). Extended Metaphor | Definition & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved December 9, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/rhetoric/extended-metaphor/
