Home › Glossary › Letter C

Creature comparison

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A simile or metaphor that likens a human or abstract concept to an animal or mythical being

Detailed Definition
Creature comparison is a figurative device where human traits, emotions, or situations are likened to animals or mythical beasts to reveal psychological depth or social critique; ranging from Aesopian fables to Plath’s bee poems, it uses zoological imagery to externalize inner states, often blurring boundaries between human and nonhuman to question identity, instinct, or morality.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s Macbeth: “Look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t”; Emily Dickinson compares hope to “the thing with feathers”; John Donne’s “The Flea” uses an insect to symbolize union; Sylvia Plath’s “Lady Lazarus” likens herself to a cat with nine lives.
Additional Notes
Creature comparison uses animals or mythical beings as metaphors to explore human traits, emotions, or social dynamics; differs from simple simile by embedding the comparison deeply into the poem’s worldview.
Also Known As
Zoomorphic metaphor beastly simile animal allegory creaturely trope Animal metaphor
Skip to main content