Using Metaphors - Examples of Equivocation

Metaphors add power and punch to your writing. They make your point clearly by tapping into your readers' understanding of the world and inspire consideration by forcing them to confront ideas in new ways. That's why you should make a point of using metaphors.

Examples of metaphors aren't hard to come by. A Pro Bowl fullback is a horse. A large car is a yacht. A happy girl is a ray of sunshine. They surround us. In some cases, they're tired and old. In others, however, they can make us look at things in a different way. They can spur us to consider different aspects of the items involved in the metaphor. They attract our attention and resonate strongly with us.

Yet many of us fail to make good use of this powerful part of the language. Whether due to a paucity of creativity or a desire to make our writings more literal, many of us fail at using metaphors. Examples of how one things models another could make our messages stronger, but we fail to jump on the opportunity.

That's a huge mistake. We should be reaching for every tool in the box in hopes of improving our communication. Leaving an option underutilized is an invitation to minimizing a work's rhetorical effectiveness. That's particularly true when we're talking about a weapon as impressive as a well-used metaphor.

Are you using metaphors? Are you making those otherwise invisible connections readily apparent to your audience? Are you communicating effectively?

Or, are you limping along using less vivid and less interesting words? If you aren't getting the most out of the potential provided by metaphors, it's time to start. Forgoing them is risky and it certainly decreases the power of your message.

If you feel you're on the wrong side of the metaphor divide, contact an expert who can help you to integrate metaphor use into your writing. You'll be glad you did. It will make your work seem stronger, more opinionated, more though provoking and generally good to read.

Metaphors are great tools. You'll find many of the greatest writers in history using metaphors. Examples of equivocation pepper their works, making them more interesting, memorable and though-provoking!

Two recommendations:

If you're interested in metaphor examples, Profitable Storytelling is a fantastic site!

And for an incredible source of motivation, you really need to look at BlindMentor.com You'll be really glad you did!