Extended metaphor
A metaphor that develops consistently throughout a text, with the central comparison explored and elaborated across multiple lines or throughout the entire work. Extended metaphors create structural coherence and develop complex meanings.
Real World
In John Donne's 'A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning', the compass metaphor begins as a description of separation and develops through multiple stanzas to explore constancy, spiritual union, and return — each new facet deepening the original comparison.
Exam Focus
Trace how the metaphor evolves across the text; mark schemes reward analysis of development, not just identification.
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