Metaphor and Identity: An analysis of modern English and Urdu Poetry

Abstract

This paper discovers the relevance between identity and metaphor in modern English and Urdu poetry by using Preludes of T.S. Eliot and Mujh Se Pehli Si Muhabat Mere Mehbob Na Mang of Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Early twentieth century poetry shows the complexities of individual and social identity shaped by society, politics, and culture. So, in these poems metaphor not only serve as a stylistic device but also as a strong strategy  for  shaping and indicating broken, unclear, and emerging identities. Alternatively Faiz express tension between personal love and social constraints by changing romantic metaphors in to a device for political awakening. In comparing the two poems and by adopting a qualitative textual analysis approach the researcher analyzes both shared designs, themes, and cultural differences to show how identity is shaped by using metaphors in poetry. After carefully analyzing the poems and by coding the data in the themes, the study declares that metaphor plays a central function in building identity in modern poetry. Moreover, it also hints towards the social and historical context of both poems.