Figures of Speech

Conceit

• Definition: A conceit is a strange and far-fetched comparison between two very different things. It is a surprising comparison that runs across many lines. So, conceit is also known as an extended metaphor.
• Example and Explanation: Donne compares the lovers to saints. He writes, “Us canonized for love.” The lovers are not real saints, but their love is so pure and holy that they become “canonized” (saints). People should respect their deep love, like people respect saints. People should pray to learn loving like them.

Metaphor

• Definition: A Metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other (without using “like” or “as”).
• Examples—

1. Candles/Tapers:

The lovers are compared to candles (tapers) that burn slowly and die. The speaker says he and his beloved burn slowly for love. It means they give all of themselves to love.

2. Phoenix:

We die and rise the same,”

The lovers are compared to the phoenix, a bird that dies and is born again from its ashes. This is a naughty comparison. Here, “die” means physical consummation of love. The speaker says he and his beloved are like the phoenix bird. They die by loving each other and become fresh again.

Symbols

• The Phoenix: The phoenix is a symbol of the eternal love between the speaker and his beloved. The phoenix is a mythical bird that dies in fire and is born again from its ashes. In the poem, the lovers are like the phoenix. They burn in the fire of love but are reborn together. This shows that their love is eternal, never dying.
• Sonnets: When the poet says that their love will be remembered in sonnets or love poems, the sonnets become a symbol of immortality. Even though lovers die, their love story lives forever through words and memory. It shows that true love never ends, even after death.