let's not be conceited

distended metaphors

D.C. Berry, another of my best poetry tutors, warned against extended metaphors. He said they become a distraction as the establishment and keeping up of one-to-one correspondences draws attention to itself.

The extended metaphors (e.g., life as battleground or "all the world's a stage"), on which we may base at least some part of our lives can also distract from authentic experiences, just as dependence on cliché does. We all live by words and comparisons, so we must choose them with care.