Poetics

What metaphors are used in Poetics by Aristotle?

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In Section III, Aristotle notes that the poet often uses words metaphorically, something which can be accomplished in many ways. For example, the poet may use a general word to mean a more specific one. One may say that a wagon is moving, and this is true, but it would be more accurate to say that the wagon is moving on its wheels, which are moving. However, the writer uses the more general term ("moving") to suggest the more specific one ("moving on rolling wheels"). Likewise, metaphor can be used in the opposite way, where a specific thing is used to suggest a more general one. For example, when Homer says that Odysseus accomplished "ten thousand deeds," it is not necessary to interpret this literally; rather, the reader is meant to infer that Odysseus simply accomplished a large number of deeds. In this way, the writer—Homer—is using a specific kind of large number (ten thousand) to suggest the more general notion of a large number.

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Poetics