Metaphor and The Senses

Writers all over the literary world use metaphors often in their works. There is however a corresponding relationship between metaphors and the senses. First, let’s define a metaphor as a “direct comparison between two unlike objects.”  

It can be assumed that because a metaphor is a comparison, detail must be used to make it a clear one.  This is where the senses come in. Metaphors gain their strength from appeals to the five senses: taste, touch, sound, smell, and sight.

Each appeal gives the reader a little more information about the two objects being compared. Using metaphors packed with sensory details is the key to helping your readers “feel, see, hear, taste, and smell,” your works.

                As you may know, writing is a constant practice. Here is an exercise you might want to try to hone your metaphor writing skills: write 5 metaphors a day for each of the five senses.

                Ex:

                Sight: The hand is a gnarled tree trunk, gorged deep with wrinkles and lines.

                Touch: The sheet of paper was a cloud of silk

                Sound: The words were thunderclaps

                Taste:  Her smile was bitter lemons

     You can add on to how many you do per day as you become more confident.

Note: a trick to adding metaphors into your writing is to use personification

Ex: the beans breathed onion and garlic

     Where the beans are being personified as a human; the sense being appealed to is taste. The objects being compared are the beans and the garlic and onions; therein lays the metaphor.

     I hope this will be helpful to you! It has been for me!

     Happy writing.