SunWinks! July 13, 2014: The H.M.S. Metaphor Goes On Extended Holiday
Dearest SunWinkers!
We’ve been talking about metaphor in our language (that’s how it’s built) and our poetry (it wouldn’t be very poetic without it). Metaphors—and successful poetry—make us look at things in new ways by making fresh connections among diverse ideas.
An extended metaphor is a comparison that is carried out through an extended part or the entire length of a work. Some writers say it is synonymous with allegory. I think they are two different things, but I don’t have the energy to belabor the point here.
Here is a tiny sample of poems which use extended metaphors. Browse your favorite anthology to find many more. They shouldn’t be too hard to pick out. In fact, it occurs to me this would be a fabulous exercise!
Unfolding Bud by Naoshi Koriyama
A Coney Island Life by James Weil
If God Is The Answer, What Was The Question? by DW
The Prompt
Get out your favorite poetry anthology and look for examples of extended metaphor. Your post will consist of citing one of these with a link or a reference, giving us an excerpt possibly, and explaining what two things are being compared, what aspects or fragments of these two things are being compared to each other, and what the comparison says to you.
And/or:
Write a short poem that uses an extended metaphor.
Post your response on your blog. If it’s a WordPress blog, tag it WeSun. Or put it in a Note on Facebook or some such functionality, something you can link to.
Then comment to this post with the link to your response.
SunWinks! 
Reblogged this on Irina's Poetry Corner and commented:
Poets, here’s a great challenge!
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I re-blogged this post with these words: Poets, here’s a great challenge!
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Thanks, Irina!!
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My pleasure, Doug.
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Reblogged this on Writing Essential Group and commented:
Here is this week’s Writing Essential Group Sunday prompt!
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Hi Doug, here are the links to my poems for this prompt:
1) http://bozlich.wordpress.com/2014/07/13/a-dogs-tale-seen-through-the-windowpain/
2) http://bozlich.wordpress.com/2014/07/13/creatures-of-the-night/
3) http://bozlich.wordpress.com/2014/07/13/i-wrote-the-story-of-my-life-but-never-once-did-i-stop-to-read-it/
4) http://bozlich.wordpress.com/2014/07/13/revelata-dysmorphologia/
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thank you, Boris. these are really remarkable.I’ll catch up linking and commenting when I’m home.
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thank you Doug! I am glad you found my poems interesting!
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You sure received a lot of responses to your challenge. It should be fun to see what happens for this challenge.
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Here’s another poem for your prompt Doug!
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