Simile

Before we progress too far let us explore the simile. As the mehod of production of the simile is similar to metaphor and they are both methods of comparison. Often you can write a simile or metaphor from the same idea and it will depend on the effect you are trying to achieve which one should use. The simile is less direct than metaphor.With metaphor you are saying one thing is the same as another.With simile you are saying one thing is like another or as another.

X is like y

“My love is like a fluffy blanket “

“His eyes glowed like a tiger’s “

Here the simile seeks to show the cunning and alertness in the man’s eyes. They are sharp, on the lookout for prey or danger. Bright and focused; showing no fear.

“As red as a cherry”

Implied within this simile is the depth of colour that is easy to imagine. It shows a dark and rich shiny red that indicates sweetness and appeal.

“Her marriage was like a beach after a storm”

Here the simile infers a lot of description that doesn’t need to be detailed. The reader can imagine a beach after a storm, strewn with wreckage and pieces of flotsam & jetsam. It implies a tangled mess that will take some considerable time and effort to right. It alludes to rubbish, shifting sands (which can suggest personal values and beliefs), and extensive damage.

Implied similes or metaphors are interesting because they allow vivid imagery.Some similes paint a straight forward picture but others make the reader pause to think to make the connection.

Examples of similes in poetry.

“How silver-sweet sound lovers’ tongues by night, like softest music to attending ears!” William Shakespeare. “Romeo and Juliet.

Compares the sound of lovers’ voices to soft music. In particular he is comparing Juliet’s loving speech to sweet music.

“Introduction to Poetry” By Billy Collins.

“I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide.”

Comparing a poem to a colour slide.”

Tonight I Can Write the Saddest lines.” Pablo Nehruda

“And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture.”

Here the word “verse” here refers to poetry itself, while “dew to the pasture” refers to the beads of condensation that form on grass early in the morning. Poetry, in this comparison, is like a delicate dew that condenses on the speaker’s soul.

“I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o’er vales and hills.”—“Daffodils” by William Wordsworth

“From the earth thou springest / Like a cloud of fire” Percy Shelley’s “To a Skylark”

Difference Between Metaphor and Simile

It can be difficult in some instances to distinguish between metaphor and simile as literary devices. Both are figures of speech designed to create comparisons. In fact, simile is a subset of metaphor. However, they are distinguished by the presence of one of two words: “like” and “as.” Metaphors create direct comparisons without using either of these words it is a stronger comparison. Similes feature either like or as in making a comparison and is more subtle a suggestion for the reader. A good example to distinguish between these two literary devices comes from the movie adaptation of the novel Forrest Gump by Winston Groom. One of the movie’s themes is based on a comparison between life and a box of chocolates. The main character, Forrest Gump, quotes his mother:

“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.”

In this case, the comparison between life and a box of chocolates is a simile due to the presence of the word like.

In a different scene, the audience hears Forrest’s mother say:

“Life is a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you’re going to get.” This comparison is a metaphor due to the absence of the word like (or as). Both quotes feature comparative figures of speech. However, the uses of metaphor and simile create subtle differences in the meaning of comparing life to a box of chocolates.

Two things to consider when deciding which to use are strength and scale. A metaphor is more direct so it’s a stronger comparison. A simile, on the other hand, is more like a suggestion. It plants the image in the reader’s head, but then the writing continues. Similes are better for descriptions you don’t want a reader to dwell on for too long.Similes tend to be contained in a line. Metaphors can be in line but can also be extended and carry a comparison through a stanza or a whole poem.