O Captain! My Captain! Walt Whitman

Metaphor  Definition –Metaphors compare two things that are not alike in most ways but similar in one important way. –Metaphors describe something. –Authors use them to make their writing more interesting or entertaining.

Metaphor  Metaphor examples: –The poor mouse did not stand a chance. Our cat was lightning and caught its prey. –Joe was such a pig; he ate the rest of the pizza.

Extended Metaphor  So what is an extended metaphor? –A metaphor that continues over multiple sentences or line, and that is sometimes extended throughout an entire work.  Example: –Their heart was icy, their blood was frosty, their veins were filled with icicles, and their words would chill an already chilly iced tea.

Why is this important?  O Captain, My Captain! Contains an extended metaphor  Abraham Lincoln was a man Walt Whitman deeply admired and is the captain to whom Whitman refers. –Captain = Abraham Lincoln –Fearful trip = the Civil War –Ship = United States –Prize = the preservation of the Union