What Is a Simile: Definition Types, Examples, and Definitions Blog
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Do you ever lose some thing only to discover it again in a spot which you've never seen and then think "I'm like a bat at times"? Perhaps you've worried regarding a person's pale face and asked them what makes them appear as white like ghosts. Whatever the case, you used a simile--one of the clearest methods to draw comparisons within spoken language.
If you're looking to improve your writing skills from dull as dishwater to sharp as a knife then you're in the right spot! We'll walk you through exactly the meaning of a simile as well as a handful of famous examples that can guide you when you're writing similes of your own.
Quick Links
- What's an Simile?
- The Types of Similes
- Simpliles of Poetry
- How to Write Similes
- The Differentialities Between Simile as well as Metaphor
- What is the difference between Analogy and Simile
What Is a Simile?
When we say, for instance, that the personality of someone as "as as tough as nails" it's not literal. Emotions and feelings can't be directly compared to a physical object! Instead, we are able to grasp the concept of nails being hard, sharp, as well as tough, and therefore readily attribute the same characteristics to the character we're trying describe.
Though they're frequently seen throughout literature and poetry, the usage of similes happens more than you'd think in our everyday lives. Expressions such as "dry as a bone" and "light as feathers" are incorporated into the common language routines.
Simile Structure
The basic structure when writing similes is using "like" and "as" to draw attention to similarities between two topics. In fact, knowing that "simile" sounds like "similar" can assist you in understanding the meaning!
Types of Similes
Though you might believe that the simile form is easy however, there's actually two distinct simile types the writers employ two types of similes: homeric and traditional.
Traditional Rhetorical Simile
This type of simile is probably that you are more familiar with. The traditional rhetorical simile is based on an "[descriptive word or adjective] as the"noun" form in just a couple of words. Examples of similes similar to these are:
- As bold as brass
- As tall as a giraffe
- It fits like gloves
- Sticks out like a sore thumb
- Like a cool cucumber
- As cunning as a fox
- Has eyes like a hawk
Homeric and Epic Simile
Although epic or homeric similes are based on the same principle like rhetorical similes, they tend to stretch over several pages of text, instead of neatly wrapping into four or five words.
In honor of the great Greek writer Homer Similes from home are more elaborate and often used in poetry to emphasize the topic or to demonstrate an act of heroism. One example from Homer's own work, the Odyssey can be found here:
I drove my weight on it from above and bored the heck out of it.
when a shipwright drills his beam by using a shipwright's drill
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Similes in Poetry
Examples of Similes of Poetry
Maya Angelou was largely known for her prose writing, however her poems are full of similes and comparisons to get her point across. In her most famous poem, And Still I Rise, she uses several instances of similes in order to explain nature.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of the tides
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
Widely considered to be the father of Romanticism, British poet William Wordsworth was known for using similes throughout his writing. While I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud is perhaps his most notable and also one of the most popular simile examples in literature, his eulogy to his fellow writer John Milton also features this literary strategy:
The Soul looked like a Star, and dwelt apart:
Thou hadst an unmistakable voice, whose tone sounded as if it came from the sea.
As pure as the heavens, majestic, free
How to Write Similes
The art of using similes to enhance your writing is an excellent exercise to strengthen your writing muscles. It's perfectly fine to drop some classic similes that we've all heard of and utilize everyday, but it'll give your writing a unique flavor by writing some new ones as well.
It is important to ensure that the comparisons you make are precise and fit within the context of what you're describing. The simile must be consistent to the style of language that your characters or you are already using, so it blends seamlessly with the rest of the narrative.
And remember to keep your similes as clear as you can to aid your reader imagine what's happening. The literature and popular culture has plenty of similes throughout literature and popular culture that can inspire you.
Examples of similes in writing
It could be George Orwell's 1984 with the lines, "He sat as still as a mouse, in the hope that the person it was might go away after a single attempt," or "Her romantic mind was as small boxes, one inside each other, coming from the baffling East" In J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, fiction is full of similes.
Like poetry, there are also the use of similes in lyrics for the purpose of conveying emotions and feelings. The title line of Bridge Over Troubled Water is a simile ("like an over-stressed bridge" water") that compares safe passage across a turbulent landscape, and Beyonce's "hit me as if a ray of sunshine" from Halo conveys the emotions she feels when a romantic relationship blossoms in her life.
The Differentialities In Simile and Metaphor
Metaphors say that some thing is different from the original (even even if it's not true). As an example, "life is an open book" is an example of a metaphor. The writer assumes we already know they're being figurative, so they don't have to be as explicit like a simile.
What is the difference between Simile and Analogy
Sometimes similes may be employed in conjunction with an analogy to make it stronger. "Time is like a thief, stealing moments of our lives" is an instance of this. However, you don't need to employ a simile within the context of a metaphor to draw an analogy.
Get Your Writing As polished as Razor
Incorporating similes into your writing helps you engage your readers. You can also learn to utilize descriptive language in innovative and exciting ways. Start with a small amount, become inventive, and, when you're done you'll be an expert!
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