LessonsConditions of Excellent Metaphor: Good Simile, Clarity, and Imaginative ForceQuiz

رَأَيْتُ أَسَدًا
I saw a lion.

If the intended referent is a courageous person, bravery is the familiar resemblance. If the speaker instead means someone with an unpleasant breath and intends that as the resemblance, the connection is not normally obvious to the audience.

The textbook's example of meaning an ill-breathed person illustrates the problem of selecting a feature not customarily associated with the borrowed image. The transfer may be conceived by the speaker, but it does not make an effective metaphor for the audience.

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The lion example and an unsuitable intended feature

Conditions of Excellent Metaphor: Good Simile, Clarity, and Imaginative Force

رَأَيْتُ أَسَدًا
I saw a lion.

If the intended referent is a courageous person, bravery is the familiar resemblance. If the speaker instead means someone with an unpleasant breath and intends that as the resemblance, the connection is not normally obvious to the audience.

The textbook's example of meaning an ill-breathed person illustrates the problem of selecting a feature not customarily associated with the borrowed image. The transfer may be conceived by the speaker, but it does not make an effective metaphor for the audience.