A burst of colors

Question

During these events, all the participating balloons are launched at once, filling the sky with a burst of colors. The graceful giants create a truly beautiful sight as they float through the sky.

Hi,

Is it right to understand "a burst of colors" as "many colors all of a sudden?"

Besides, is "a truly beautiful sight" equal to "a truly beautiful vision/scene?" Thanks.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

The word "burst" here is in a different sense from a balloon bursting, which takes place in an instant. This is a literary, metaphorical use of the word "burst", and it has no time sense. This is similar to the phrase "the May blooms gave the meadow a burst of color." There is no sense of things happening in an instant here.

The words "vision" and "scene" are approximately synonymous with "sight," but only "sight" is appropriate for this sentence. "Vision" would sound too weird and fantastical. "Scene" is too abstract.

Angliholic · Answer

Thanks, Anonymous.

But would you say "a burst of color" in other words so that I can pin down its meaning?

As for the second question, I'm still confused.

Anonymous · Answer

The phrase "burst of color" is a metaphor, which compares a bursting (an explosion) to a sky filled with colorful hot-air balloons. Of course there is no actual explosion going on here, but the many colorful balloons in the sky are vaguely reminiscent of an "explosion", where things are thrown into the air in confusion.

The words sight, vision, and scene are approximately synonymous, but only the word "sight" is appropriate here. The word "vision" is often used in a paranormal context, which is too far-out for what is being described here. The word "scene" is too drab and formal to describe a sky filled with colorful hot-air balloons.

A burst of colors

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