Metaphor

**METAPHOR:** 
 * The comparison of one thing to another without the use of //like// or //as//
 * A figure of speech or phrase that portrays one word as being or equal to a second object in some way
 * Comparisons that show how two things that are not alike in most ways are similar in one important way


 * Examples From Heat & Dust:**
 * "She is paper-white, vaporous - yes, a ghost." (4)
 * This comparison of the woman in the hostel to a ghost emphasizes not only the woman's pale complexion and white night-gown, but also how her 30 years in India have left her with a ghostly remembrance of the hope she had once had for the virtuous future of India as well as her past in Europe.
 * "But the place is empty now, it is just a marble shell." (12)
 * Jhabvala's comparison of the Nawab's palace to a shell simply illustrates the lack of life or any furnishings inside the building, while the exterior retains a look of grandness fit for royalty.
 * "And she, seeing him, felt that //he// - though plump and unattractive - was an oasis for her." (34)
 * While Harry is not literally an isolated fertile piece of land, Olivia feels that he is her oasis because he is her lone source of information and companionship.