Previous
Irony
Definition of Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor can be stated explicitly, as... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other... read full definition
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Climb Back Up:
Back in the cave with his mother in Chapter 4, Grendel describes the Shaper's ability to manipulate the world through stories. But immediately afterward Grendel compares the Shaper's powers of language to his mother's lack thereof. This comparison culminates with a metaphor which compares speech to a mountain that one can climb:
It was a cold-blooded lie that a god had lovingly made the world and set out the sun and moon as lights to land-dwellers, that brothers had fought, that one of the races was saved, the other cursed. Yet he, the old Shaper, might make it true [...] She was pitiful, foul, her smile a jagged white tear in the firelight: waste. She whimpered one sound: Dool-dool! dool-dool!, scratching at her bosom, a ghastly attempt to climb back up to speech.
Related Themes:
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Gluey Whine:
In Chapter 5, Grendel speaks to the dragon, perched atop his pile of gold in a secluded cave. The dragon speaks ruefully about humans and their faith in connectedness but acknowledges that they sometimes see the capricious nature of their world. Only the Shaper's stories give humans the framework to understand the world, which the dragon describes in a metaphor:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Connectedness is the essence of everything. It doesn’t stop them, of course. They build the whole world out of teeth deprived of bodies to chew or be chewed on. They sense that, of course, from time to time; have uneasy feelings that all they live by is nonsense. They have dim apprehensions that such propositions as ‘God does not exist’ are somewhat dubious at least in comparison with statements like ‘All carnivorous cows eat meat.’ That’s where the Shaper saves them. Provides an illusion of reality—puts together all their facts with a gluey whine of connectedness.
Related Themes:
Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—Brachiating Poet:
At the beginning of Chapter 8, Grendel takes up his own epic and heroic style, emulating the Shaper. Here, he introduces himself as the bard for this new phase of his story. In the chapter's brief prefatory poem, Grendel uses a metaphor to describe himself as a terrible beast who has taken up language:
Unlock with LitCharts A+(Thus poor Grendel,
anger’s child,
red eyes hidden in the dark of verbs,
brachiating with a hoot from rhyme to rhyme.)
Related Themes:
Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Stalactites of the Heart:
In Chapter 9, Grendel observes some priests sacrificing a calf to pagan gods. Grendel is rater disgusted by these proceedings, thinking that the grisly dismemberment is only "showmanship." Grendel believes that no human actually believes in such ritualistic practices. Humans, instead, are much more simple, desiring only power. He describes this deep-seated desire using a bodily metaphor:
Unlock with LitCharts A+There is no conviction in the old priests’ songs; there is only showmanship. No one in the kingdom is convinced that the gods have life in them. The weak observe the rituals—take their hats off, put them on again, raise their arms, lower their arms, moan, intone, press their palms together—but no one harbors unreasonable expectations. The strong—old Hrothgar, Unferth—ignore the images. The will to power resides among the stalactites of the heart.
Related Themes:
