Nazm explanation: distinguishing tashbih from isti'ara
In a timed practice paper for the Nazm section, a candidate is given the line 'Rukhat chun sham'-i raushan, dil-i man chun parwana' (your face is like a bright candle, my heart is like a moth). The marking scheme allots 7 marks: 2 for naming the figure, 3 for explaining the comparison, and 2 for linking it to the poem's theme. The candidate writes: 'This is isti'ara because two things are compared; the poet says the face is a candle.' The teacher's note says the candidate has confused tashbih with isti'ara and has not mentioned the moth's self-destruction. The candidate has 7 minutes and must also answer a question on the poem's central idea. The candidate's vocabulary is good, but the candidate over-labels every comparison as a metaphor. The candidate must decide how to correct the answer, what to include in the explanation, and how to avoid losing the theme marks.
1. Correct the candidate's device identification and justify it using the wording of the line.
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The device is tashbih, not isti'ara, because the line uses the explicit comparison word chun ('like'). In tashbih the tenor and vehicle are linked by a particle such as chun, manand, or hamchu. In isti'ara the comparison is implied by predicating one thing as another, so the particle would be absent and the face would be addressed or described as the candle itself.
Here the face is the tenor and the candle is the vehicle; the heart is the tenor and the moth is the vehicle. Because the comparison is explicit, the candidate must name tashbih. The candidate should also avoid saying 'two things are compared' as the whole justification: the marker needs the trigger word chun and the identification of tenor and vehicle.
2. Draft the 60-word explanation that would earn the explanation marks and the theme marks.
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The beloved's face is a bright candle, and the lover's heart is a moth that circles the flame and burns. The light attracts and destroys at the same time. This image expresses self-sacrificing love: the lover is drawn to the beloved's brilliance even though that attraction consumes him. The moth's self-destruction is the key detail, not merely the brightness of the candle.
3. What rule should the candidate use in the next answer to avoid over-labelling devices?
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Use a two-step check. First, look for an explicit comparison word: chun, manand, hamchu, or a similar particle. If it is present, the safest label is tashbih. Second, if no particle is present, ask whether one thing is being asserted as another. Only then consider isti'ara. Name a device only if you can quote the trigger word or explain the substitution in one sentence.
This rule prevents the candidate from calling every comparison a metaphor. It also protects theme marks: a correct device label with a weak explanation earns little, while a clear tenor-vehicle explanation with the right label earns both the device and the theme credit.