The simplest figure of speech is the SIMILE. A simile emphasizes a similarity of two things by merely saying it: "You are like a dog", or "You are as a dog". The figure rests entirely on one word.
A METAPHOR emphasizes a similarity of two things by saying they are the same; "You are a dog".
Next comes a big word: HYPOCATASTASIS. This is a Greek word. 'Hypo' means under, as in 'hypodermic', 'cata' means thrown, as in 'catapult', and 'stasis' means standing, as in the sci fi "stasis field" where things are made to stand still. Hypocatastasis is a meaning thrown under, or in plain English, name-calling. Hypocatastasis just calls the fellow "Dog!" See Luke 13:32 "that fox", and Genesis 3:1 "the serpent".
A PARABLE is an extended figure of speech; a story based on a simile, metaphor, or hypocatastasis. If the story is possible, it is a MYTH. If the story is impossible, it is a FABLE. A story about talking animals is a fable. If a fable includes an explanation of the meaning, it is an ALLEGORY. Many of Aesop's so-called fables are actually allegories. Don't confuse any of these with LEGEND, which is a supposedly true but unverified historical account (Jonah, for example).
These terms are not used with any precise meaning in modern discourse. For instance, most people think 'allegory' means "a story full of religious symbolism beyond human comprehension". But when discussing figures of speech they are very precisely defined. Here is a book that lists figures in the bible, almost the only work in the subject for the last two thousand years: http://openlibrary.org/search?q=e.+w.+bullinger+fi...
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Metaphor, because the verb "to flood" usually refers to water, but here it's being used to describe light.
What you have there is a flowery phrase.
The simplest figure of speech is the SIMILE. A simile emphasizes a similarity of two things by merely saying it: "You are like a dog", or "You are as a dog". The figure rests entirely on one word.
A METAPHOR emphasizes a similarity of two things by saying they are the same; "You are a dog".
Next comes a big word: HYPOCATASTASIS. This is a Greek word. 'Hypo' means under, as in 'hypodermic', 'cata' means thrown, as in 'catapult', and 'stasis' means standing, as in the sci fi "stasis field" where things are made to stand still. Hypocatastasis is a meaning thrown under, or in plain English, name-calling. Hypocatastasis just calls the fellow "Dog!" See Luke 13:32 "that fox", and Genesis 3:1 "the serpent".
A PARABLE is an extended figure of speech; a story based on a simile, metaphor, or hypocatastasis. If the story is possible, it is a MYTH. If the story is impossible, it is a FABLE. A story about talking animals is a fable. If a fable includes an explanation of the meaning, it is an ALLEGORY. Many of Aesop's so-called fables are actually allegories. Don't confuse any of these with LEGEND, which is a supposedly true but unverified historical account (Jonah, for example).
These terms are not used with any precise meaning in modern discourse. For instance, most people think 'allegory' means "a story full of religious symbolism beyond human comprehension". But when discussing figures of speech they are very precisely defined. Here is a book that lists figures in the bible, almost the only work in the subject for the last two thousand years: http://openlibrary.org/search?q=e.+w.+bullinger+fi...