Simile Vs Metaphors Lesson

Writing is description. Whether you're clarifying an opinion or creating a setting, your ultimate goal is to describe. We've already learned how precise word choice will enhance your writing. Now we can look at similes and metaphors, two useful devices for description.

Similes and metaphors are figures of speech that make comparisons. They are called figures of speech because they are imaginative rather than literal. Similes, for example, make comparisons by using either like, as, or than.

Her smile is like a rainbow.
- He is as fast as a cheetah.
- The group laughed more than hyenas at a party!

Got it? Although smiles are not literally like rainbows, both share a quality of joy; no one runs the speed of a cheetah, but the comparison stirs our imagination; hyenas don't have parties (at least, not that we know of!) but the comparison adds humor.

Metaphors also make comparisons, but they do not use like, as, or than. Instead, they assert that one thing is another thing. Again, this leap is imaginary. Here are a couple of metaphors:

- The tears of God rained down on the funeral.
- School is the waiting room of life.
Notice how the metaphors convey a mood. Raindrops are not the tears of God, but if you're having a terrible day, they might as well be. If school is intolerable, it feels like a waiting room!

Some writers employ extended metaphors. An extended metaphor develops beyond a single sentence. Read this passage from John Knowles', A Separate Peace.

So the war swept over like a wave at the seashore, gathering power and size as it bore on us, overwhelming in its rush, seemingly inescapable, and then at the last moment eluded by a word from Phineas; I had simply ducked, that was all, and the wave's concentrated power had hurtled harmlessly overhead, no doubt throwing others roughly up on the beach, but leaving me peaceably treading water as before. I did not stop to think that one wave is inevitably followed by another even larger and more powerful, when the tide is coming in.

Notice how the simile, like a wave, is transformed into an extended metaphor. The wave's meaning expands until it finally foreshadows upcoming events. Like all figures of speech, metaphors and extended metaphors are best used sparingly.

Writing Exercise Prompt With Similies
1. Here's a fun way to invent original similes. In groups of three or four, gather some everyday objects, such as pencils, backpacks, and lunch bags. Now brainstorm similes for each object, giving the reasoning behind each simile: A pencil is like a needle— it can hurt as well as heal.

Writing Exercise Prompt With Metaphors
2. In the same group, one person volunteers a noun. Each member writes down a metaphor using the word. If someone says, building, you might write, The building is a labyrinth.
Afterwards, compare your metaphors. Be ready to explain your comparison. Remember, the comparison needs to be rational; it should enhance meaning, not detract from it.

Writing Exercise Prompt
3. Using a free reading book as a reference, copy at least one simile and one metaphor. (You might want to use a book of poetry.) Beside each figure of speech, explain its meaning and evaluate its effectiveness. Did it enhance meaning? Is it poetic?

Planet Zorbon—Metaphors & Similes In Action Writing Exercise Prompt
4. You and a friend just landed on Planet Zorbon, 12,000 light years from Earth. First, without using similes or metaphors, write a long paragraph describing Zorbon.
Now exchange your description with a classmate's. Embellish each other's writing with lots of similes and metaphors.