"What is a Metaphor?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers

What is the definition of metaphor? What are some examples of metaphors in literature? Professor Tim Jensen answers these questions using examples from everyday life, H.P. Lovecraft's Call of Cthulhu, and Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. The short video is designed to help high school and college English students to not only identify metaphors but also to analyze their structure and purpose in literature. The video is sponsored by the School of Writing, Literature, and Film at Oregon State University. For more discussions of literary topics and essay writing tips, please subscribe to the free SWLF YouTube Channel or visit https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/w...

This video now contains Spanish as well as English subtitles. To change the subtitle language, click on the settings icon in the video. A transcript of the video in both languages is available here: https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/w...

The transcript also contains a free (OER) lesson for teachers on "Dead Metaphors."

Timestamps
0:00 Metaphor Definition
0:23 Examples of Common Metaphors
0:45 Why Use Metaphors?
1:12 Types of Metaphors

In the comments section, please feel free to provide more examples of metaphors that you've encountered in your reading adventures! Liking, sharing, and commenting on our videos will help us to build a rich digital learning environment around these topics.