Is this a metaphor, a simile, or an analogy?

Farang

Lifer
Jul 7, 2003
10,913
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I feel like I'm back in 3rd grade or something but this is confusing me.. my textbook refers to it as an "analogy" but I need examples of metaphors and from the definitions I've read it seems like the book is mistaken and it is indeed a metaphor.

Heaven's net is indeed vast
Though its meshes are wide, it misses nothing.

I say its a metaphor because it doesn't say "Heaven is like a net," it just uses "net" to describe heaven's reach.
 

Crono

Lifer
Aug 8, 2001
23,720
1,502
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Metaphor. Similies are direct, using "like". Analogies are also direct, comparing one thing to another.

EDIT: I'm probably not being too helpful, but this link might be.
 

Farang

Lifer
Jul 7, 2003
10,913
3
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Originally posted by: Crono
Metaphor. Similies are direct, using "like". Analogies are also direct, comparing one thing to another.

EDIT: I'm probably not being too helpful, but this link might be.

Thanks.. I think that link you gave proved it.

."Here hand is a slender ivory sculpture" is a metaphor."

I was just a bit hesitant to contradict the textbook but it does seem to be a metaphor.
 

Zenmervolt

Elite member
Oct 22, 2000
24,514
34
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It's an analogy.

Heaven's net is indeed vast
Though its meshes are wide, it misses nothing.

"Heaven" is not compared to a net, either directly (e.g. "Heaven is a net that is vast") or using "like" or "as" (e.g. "Heaven is like a net that is vast"). Rather, one aspect of Heaven, it's reach, is shown as being analogous to a net.

It's not a metaphor since it is not directly saying that Heaven is a net, rather it is using the analogue of a net to describe Heaven's reach.

ZV
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
80,287
17,080
136
Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
It's an analogy.

Heaven's net is indeed vast
Though its meshes are wide, it misses nothing.

"Heaven" is not compared to a net, either directly (e.g. "Heaven is a net that is vast") or using "like" or "as" (e.g. "Heaven is like a net that is vast"). Rather, one aspect of Heaven, it's reach, is shown as being analogous to a net.

It's not a metaphor since it is not directly saying that Heaven is a net, rather it is using the analogue of a net to describe Heaven's reach.

ZV
I think I agree with this interpretation.

Also, I like pie.
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
Originally posted by: shortylickens
Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
It's an analogy.

Heaven's net is indeed vast
Though its meshes are wide, it misses nothing.

"Heaven" is not compared to a net, either directly (e.g. "Heaven is a net that is vast") or using "like" or "as" (e.g. "Heaven is like a net that is vast"). Rather, one aspect of Heaven, it's reach, is shown as being analogous to a net.

It's not a metaphor since it is not directly saying that Heaven is a net, rather it is using the analogue of a net to describe Heaven's reach.

ZV
I think I agree with this interpretation.

Also, I like pie.

Cheesecakepie?
 

dighn

Lifer
Aug 12, 2001
22,820
4
81
Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
It's an analogy.

Heaven's net is indeed vast
Though its meshes are wide, it misses nothing.

"Heaven" is not compared to a net, either directly (e.g. "Heaven is a net that is vast") or using "like" or "as" (e.g. "Heaven is like a net that is vast"). Rather, one aspect of Heaven, it's reach, is shown as being analogous to a net.

It's not a metaphor since it is not directly saying that Heaven is a net, rather it is using the analogue of a net to describe Heaven's reach.

ZV

Could you not not say "Heavy's net" is a metaphor for its reach?

n/m I think I see now. There's an implicit comparison.
 

Farang

Lifer
Jul 7, 2003
10,913
3
0
Goddamnit I already submitted the assignment. Oh well.. I have a feeling the professor either doesn't know what a metaphor is or that most of the class will make the same mistake because he asked us to look for metaphors but 99% of what I found were similes and analogies.
 

nerp

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2005
9,865
105
106
Analogies are metaphorical by nature. There is a lot of gray area.