Glenn,
What I meant was just that metaphors are "stronger" (not necessarily better or always preferable!) by means of their nature... the simile being like a thing and the metaphor actually being the thing. I imagine there's a better way to articulate that, but that's all I have right now.
And that comment really only applied if you wanted to have the whole poem become an extended metaphor, since adding a simile on top of an extended metaphor is not necessary and also would risk stepping outside of the metaphor and "weaken" it by doing so.
I like your thought about exploring the "long apprenticeship necessary for virtuosity in any creative endeavor."
Take care,
Chelsea
Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenn Wright
Hi, Chelsea and Julie—
Chelsea—I don’t understand why a metaphor would be preferable to a simile. The comparison of people to insects is a venerable and shopworn trope. Most often butterflies are chosen because their metamorphosis from caterpillar to pupa to winged adult suggests the glorification of the soul in death. This comparison is so common that the Greek words for “butterfly” and “soul” are the same.
Glenn
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