An example of figurative language used in popular science writing:
"It must however be noticed here that the process of shrinking and cooling of the old stars which have used up all their vital hydrogen fuel does not always proceed in a quiet and orderly way, and that, walking their 'last mile', these dying stars are often subject to titanic convulsions as if revolting against their fate."
George Gamow (1961) One, Two, Three…Infinity. Facts and speculations of science, Revised Edition, Dover Publications, Inc., New York.
Vital once meant necessary to life, but it has become metaphorically extended to anything that is considered essential in some context. Similarly, although stars are not alive, and so cannot die (so again these terms were originally metaphors), this has become accepted usage even in professional astronomy. (Read 'The passing of stars: Birth, death, and afterlife in the universe'). However, stars can only walk their last mile metaphorically. (The adjective 'Titanic' derives from the mythical giants the Titans, who also gave their name to titanium.)
To say that a star was revolting against its fate would be anthropomorphic (as inanimate objects cannot revolt as this requires sentience, intention, motivation), but here Gamow uses this as a simile – it is as if…
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