90+ Metaphor Examples in Literature That You Need to Know

90+ Metaphor Examples in Literature That You Need to Know The Essential List of 90+ Metaphor Examples in Literature and Pop Culture What figure of speech is so meta that it forms the very basis of riddles? The answer: a metaphor.As Milan Kundera wrote in The Unbearable Lightness of Being: â€Å"Metaphors are dangerous. Metaphors are not to be trifled with.† Yet, paradoxically, they are an inescapable part of our daily lives - which is why it’s all the more important to understand exactly how they function.To help, this article has a list of 97 metaphor examples to show you what they look like in the wild. But if you have a moment to spare, let's learn a bit more about what a metaphor is. NINETY-SEVEN metaphor examples! Get your fix in this post! What is a metaphor?A metaphor is a literary device that imaginatively draws a comparison between two unlike things. It does this by stating that Thing A is Thing B. Through this method of equation, metaphors can help explain concepts and ideas by colorfully linking the unknown to the known; the abstract to the concrete; the incomprehensible to the comprehensible. It can also be a rhetorical device that specifically appeals to our sensibilities as readers.To give you a starting point, here are some examples of common metaphors:â€Å"Bill is an early bird.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Life is a highway.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Her eyes were diamonds.†Note that metaphors are always non-literal. As much as you might like to greet your significant other with a warhammer in hand (â€Å"love is a battlefield†) or bring 50 tanks of gasoline every time you go on a date (â€Å"love is a journey†), that’s not likely to happen in reality. Another spoiler alert: no, Katy Perry doesn't literally think that you're a firework. Rather, these are all instances of metaphors in action. Calvin Hobbes. Image: Bill WattersonDid we miss any of your favorite metaphors? Have more metaphor examples for us? Leave them in the (non-metaphorical) box below and we'll add them right in.