Simile and Metaphor

A poem is not a delicate piece of pottery that clumsy hands may drop and break in pieces. It can be analysed, dissected put under the microscope; and the closer and more detailed the examination, the more one finds to admire as with any work of art.

from Feet on the Ground

by Margaret J. O'Donnell

Poetry like any other fine arts, exist to be enjoyed and appreciated. It is obvious that to some extent appreciation grows in understanding.

I 've learned and developed an appreciation and enjoyment of poetry, but it did not come easy, it took a long time for me to like poetry. I must thank my English high school teachers who have that difficult task of developing this sense of appreciation and enjoyment in me.

The words and expressions in a poem have been chosen to create images or pictures in our minds. When we read poem we see, hear, taste, touch and smell the world that it offers. How poets do it, one way to do it is by using simile or metaphors.

When we describe something, we often use the expression, "It was like" so that we can convey our experience vividly to our listener who may never have seen or heard what we are describing. We want our listener to understand fully what we have seen, heard or felt.

If a friend had been to a dentist and we asked "What was it like?" we might get a reply, like My mouth feels like a beaten-up punching bag.

This is an example of a simile, in this way we are making the description more colourful, dramatic and interesting. Simile is a figure of speech and can often be exxaggerations because this is a way to capture the listener's attention. The simile asks us to picture one thing as being similar to another - often using the word 'like' or the word 'as' . . . to link our pictures' in the mind.

Examples of Simile:

• She swins like a fish.
• He's as hairy as a gorilla.
• Peter laughs like a hyena.
• Mr. John is as wise as an owl.
• Allow me, it's as easy as ABC.
• Because I was embarrassed my face was as red as a ripe tomato.
• My love is like a red, red rose.
• The world is like a stage.
• She got a neck like a pipe.
• That girl have a hair like rat's tail.

If we write a comparison between two things and omit the word "like" then we are using a Metaphor.

The metaphor goes a step further than the simile and instead of asking us to picture one thing as being like another, we are asked to picture one thing as being another. We are describing one thing as if it were actually another.

Metaphors are not only use in poetry but can be found in all types of writing, metaphors enliven ordinary language, it create new meanings, they allow you to write about feelings, thoughts, things, experiences .

Examples of Metaphor:

• He was a tornado, blasting his way through the opposing team.
• He was a lion in the fight.
• The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas.
• Education is your passport to satisfying employment.
• The truck flew down the empty highway.
• My love is a red, red rose.
• The boy told his mother a white lie.
• The thief was caught red-handed.

When making a metaphor about something, look closely at the object and ask yourself:

• what does it look like
• what does it sound like?
• what does it feel like.
• what does it do?

1. The __________ is a red-eyed monster, immobile and metallic, refereeing the traffic while remaining undisturbed.

2. __________is a purple pumpkin,

Laced with a silver web.

And the moon a golden spider,

Wandering through the strands.

Have you written any poem using simile or do your have a favourite metaphor, please feel free to share or write it on the comment box.