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Enormous metaphor

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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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

An extended or expansive metaphor that dominates or structures an entire poem

Detailed Definition
An enormous metaphor is a sustained, expansive figurative construct that spans an entire poem or sequence, mapping one complex domain onto another to generate profound insight; unlike brief similes, it operates as an organizing principle, as in John Donne’s compass conceit or Elizabeth Bishop’s “The Fish” as a symbol of resilience and grace.
Example
Example in poetry:
A metaphor comparing a city to a living beast: “New York breathes in steel and exhales smoke”; A poem calling the internet “the nervous system of the ghost of humanity”; Describing climate change as “the fever of the earth”; A verse where love is “a black hole bending time.”
Additional Notes
An enormous metaphor compares vastly different scales (e.g., love to a black hole); it creates awe or irony—ensure the comparison reveals insight, not just spectacle.
Also Known As
Cosmic metaphor Vast simile Monumental image Expansive trope Colossal figure Massive comparison
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