Controlling metaphor  A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, without using the word "like" or "as." A controlling metaphor is a metaphor that runs through an entire work and determines the form or nature of that work. The controlling metaphor in Anne Bradstreet's poem "The Author to Her Book" likens her book to a child. (See also, metaphor)

The definitions in this glossary were adapted from The Bedford Introduction to Literature, Sixth Edition, by Michael Meyer