3.3.2 Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech in which the writer/poet takes a word/phrase which normally has one meaning and uses it to stand for another meaning. It is actually an implied comparison in which, by association, two meanings are associated without the use of "like" or "as". Something is seen as if it is something else.
Example:
The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight, over the purple moor,
In the above extract the use of metaphors sets the scene and creates the atmosphere. All three subjects in each of the lines, namely, "the wind", "the moon" and "the road" are seen in terms of something else. "The wind" is "a torrent of darkness", that is, it is blowing very strongly and loudly but cannot be seen, just heard, like the sound of a large, swiftly flowing river. Immediately, an eerie note has been struck. This is followed by the second metaphor, "The moon was a ghostly galleon". We are able to visualise the moon appearing to be moving silently across the night sky as if it were a ghost ship. In fact, it is the presence of shifting cloud passing around it that gives the impression of movement. Then in all the darkness there is a long thin line - the road - which is highlighted in the moonlight. It is like a long, thin, smooth ribbon, against a dark backdrop. With the help of metaphors, Noyes has created the setting and atmosphere for the little drama which is about to unfold in the poem.