TIP OF THE DAY 106: Speaking with style - narrative figures of comparison

MJ. Smith
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VOCABULARY: Figures of comparison

Hypocatastasis is a kind of comparison as are metaphor, simile, and allegory which we were taught in school

Allegory - An extended metaphor in which a story, poem, or picture can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. It involves a continuous comparison throughout the work.

Analogy - A comparison between two things that are alike in some way, often used to explain something unfamiliar by comparing it to something familiar. Analogies can be more extensive and elaborate than similes or metaphors.

Antithesis - The direct opposite of something. While not a comparison in the traditional sense, it involves comparing two contrasting ideas to highlight their differences.

Contrast - Similar to antithesis, but broader. It simply points out differences between two things, without necessarily implying a direct opposition. This is a foundational element in creating comparisons.

Hypocatastasis - A comparison without explicitly stating both parts of the comparison. It's like a compressed metaphor or simile where one element is left unsaid but understood

Metaphor - A direct comparison between two unlike things, stating that one is the other.

Metonymy - Substituting the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant. It's a comparison by association.

Pathetic fallacy - A specific type of personification where human emotions are attributed to aspects of nature. This also involves an implicit comparison, and often enhances the emotional tone of a passage.

Parable - A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. It often uses comparisons to familiar situations to convey its message.

Personification - Giving human qualities to inanimate objects or abstract ideas. This involves an implicit comparison between the non-human entity and a human being.

Simile - A comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as."

Synecdoche - Substituting the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant. It's a comparison by association.

Note all of these can be analyzed using an M chart:

Item A

Item B

Attributes of A only

Shared attributes

Attributes of B only

QUESTION: Give examples of narrative figures of comparison.

SOFTWARE:

Allegory: Extended metaphor telling a story.

Example Isaiah 5:1b-6

figureofSpeech:(description:"Continued Metaphor and Hypocatastasis" AND name:Allegory)

parable:(audience:person:"Jerusalem Residents (Assyrian Exile)" AND audience:person:"Kingdom of Judah (Assyrian Exile)" AND speaker:person:Isaiah AND title:"Vineyard Yielding Wild Grapes" AND type:Rebuke)

literaryTyping:Allegory

Parable/parabola: Short story illustrating a moral or spiritual truth.

Example Luke 14:16-24

figureofSpeech:(description:"Parable: i.e., Continued Simile" AND name:Parabola)

parable:(audience:person:"Crowd at Passover" AND audience:person:Elders AND audience:person:"A Chief Priest" AND speaker:person:Jesus AND title:"The Wedding Celebration" AND type:Warning)

literaryTyping:Parable

propositionalOutline:Parable

Fable/apologue: Story using animals or inanimate objects as characters.

Example Judges 9:8-15

figureofSpeech:(description:"Continued Metaphor and Hypocatastasis" AND name:Allegory)

figureofSpeech:(description:Fable AND name:Apologue)

parable:(audience:person:"Abimelech (son of Gideon)" AND speaker:person:"Jotham (son of Jerubbaal)" AND title:"The Trees Search for a Ruler" AND type:Warning)

literaryTyping:Parable

Type/typos: Person or thing prefiguring a future person or event.

Example Romans 5:14-15

figureofSpeech:name:Type

Personification/prosopopoeia: Attributing human form or personality to God.

Example Job 29:11

figureofSpeech:(description:Personification AND name:Prosopopoeia)

In each case, an analysis of the traits that are shared and the traits that are held by only one of the elements compared identify the emphasis of the comparison. Remember that omitting an attribute in a label search is the equivalent of saying any value is acceptable.

Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."