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Time-based 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 metaphor that uses temporal concepts (e.g., seasons, clocks) to represent abstract ideas

Detailed Definition
A time-based metaphor uses temporal concepts—seasons, clocks, decay, or growth—to represent abstract ideas like love, mortality, or change; by anchoring metaphor in time’s passage, it evokes impermanence, anticipation, or cyclical renewal as central poetic concerns.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s “All the world’s a stage” is a time-based metaphor comparing life to theater; Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” uses time-based metaphor of diverging paths; Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” uses time-based metaphor of carriage ride through life stages; T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” uses time-based metaphor: “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.”
Additional Notes
Time-based metaphor uses temporal concepts (seasons, clocks, journeys) to explore life stages or change—Shakespeare’s “seven ages”; makes abstract time tangible; often paired with natural imagery for universality.
Also Known As
Temporal metaphor Chronological figure Time-bound image Epochal symbol Evolutionary trope Historical metaphor Temporal comparison
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