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Q&A Can metaphors be used for other purposes than for stylistic effect and to form an allegory?

A metaphor can also be used to explain something in familiar terms. For example, when a popular science book describes Eisenstein gravity due to bent space by using the metaphor of a rubber sheet ...

posted 5y ago by David Siegel‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T11:11:05Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/43091
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar David Siegel‭ · 2019-12-08T11:11:05Z (almost 5 years ago)
A metaphor can also be used to explain something in familiar terms. For example, when a popular science book describes Eisenstein gravity due to bent space by using the metaphor of a rubber sheet indented by various objects, with the dent representing the "gravity well" around a body. This particular metaphor has become so common it is a cliche, partly because it seems to work very well. Similarly, it used to be common to describe the structure of an atom as a miniature solar system, with the nuclear as the star, and the electrons as planets. Changes in our understanding of atoms has made that metaphor obsolete, but it is still used in describing the now outdated Bohr theory of atomic structure.

Also, a metaphor can be used to convey symbolism, but not all symbolism is allegory.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2019-03-06T18:38:50Z (over 5 years ago)
Original score: 2