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Parallel 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

A figure of speech that presents two or more metaphors side by side for comparative effect

Detailed Definition
Parallel metaphor is a figurative construction where two or more metaphors are developed simultaneously in corresponding syntactic structures to reinforce a central comparison; by maintaining consistent grammatical form—such as “Her mind is a fortress; her heart is a vault”—the poet deepens the analogy through repetition, creating a resonant, multi-faceted image that amplifies thematic unity.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, “summer’s day” and “eternal beauty” form a parallel metaphor; In Emily Dickinson, “hope is the thing with feathers” and “sings the tune without the words” extend parallel metaphor; In Langston Hughes’s “Harlem,” multiple similes (“dry up,” “fester,” “stink”) create parallel metaphor for deferred dreams; In Sylvia Plath’s “Metaphors,” pregnancy is rendered through nine parallel metaphors (“I’m a riddle in nine syllables”).
Additional Notes
Parallel metaphor: Use of two metaphors working alongside each other, amplifying meaning without merging.
Also Known As
Parallel trope Matching metaphor Echoing figure Collateral metaphor
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