Here's why:
* Sustained Comparison: A metaphor isn't a simple comparison like a simile ("The man was *like* a lion"). It's a sustained comparison, where the subject is *treated as if it were* the thing it's being compared to.
* Written or Spoken as if it were something else: This describes the core of a metaphor – the writer or speaker is using language that implies the subject *actually is* the other thing.
Example:
* "The city was a jungle." Here, the city is not literally a jungle, but the writer uses language that makes us experience the city *as if it were* a jungle, full of danger, chaos, and wild life. This comparison is sustained throughout the sentence.
Let me know if you have any other literary terms you'd like help with!