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Metaphorical pair

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

Two images or concepts linked through sustained or implied metaphor

Detailed Definition
A metaphorical pair consists of two images or concepts linked through sustained metaphor to explore complex relationships—such as “ship and sea” for love and uncertainty—where each element reflects and refracts the other, deepening symbolic interplay across the poem’s fabric.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “The Tyger,” Blake pairs “hammer” and “chain” as a metaphorical pair representing creation and constraint; Sylvia Plath’s “Mirror” uses mirror and lake as a metaphorical pair for truth and distortion; Robert Frost’s “Fire and Ice” presents fire and ice as a metaphorical pair for desire and hate; T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” uses desert and water as a metaphorical pair for sterility and renewal.
Additional Notes
A metaphorical pair links two images that jointly express a complex idea—e.g., fire/ice for desire/hate; deeper than single metaphor; look for how the pair interacts—complement, contradict, or transform each other.
Also Known As
Metaphoric dyad Figurative pair Symbolic duo Twin image Metaphorical dyad
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