For instance, The Police's "King of Pain" offers a dazzling amount of metaphors for a tortured soul. I used to play the song when I briefly taught a writing class at Citrus College, just to encourage the students to explore the art of comparison.
Sting compares his soul to . . .
a black hat caught in a high tree top
a flag pole rag (and the wind won't stop)
a black CAT caught in a high tree top
a fossil trapped in a high cliff wall
a dead salmon frozen in a waterfall
a blue whale beached by a springtide's ebb
a butterfly trapped in a spider's web
He then goes on to say that his soul is. . .
a red fox torn by a huntsman's pack
a black winged gull with a broken back
What a virtuoso volley of metaphors. Of course, I don't need to tell you how well the song turned out, or how remarkable a band The Police are.
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