Simile Definition
A simile
is a figure of speech that makes a comparison,
showing similarities between two different things. Unlike a metaphor,
a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words “like” or “as”.
Therefore, it is a direct comparison.
From
the above discussion, we can infer the function of similes both in our everyday
life as well as in literature. Using similes attracts the attention and appeals
directly to the senses of listeners or readers encouraging their imagination to
comprehend what is being communicated. In addition, it inspires life-like
quality in our daily talks and in the characters of fiction or poetry.
Simile allows readers to relate the feelings of a writer or a poet to their
personal experiences. Therefore, the use of similes makes it easier for the
readers to understand the subject matter of a literary text, which may have
been otherwise too demanding to be comprehended. Like metaphors, similes also
offer variety in our ways of thinking and offers new perspectives of viewing
the world.
Difference Between Simile and Metaphor
As stated above, simile and metaphor are often confused. Though the difference is simple between the definition of simile and that of metaphor, it can be profound. While simile compares two things with the connecting words “like” or “as,” metaphor simply states that one thing is the other. For example, a simile would be, “He was as aggressive as a tiger in that argument,” whereas a metaphor would be, “He was a tiger in that argument.” Metaphors are thus subtler and can be stronger in a rhetorical sense, because they equate the two things in comparison rather than just present them as similar. Similes, however, allow for truly bizarre comparisons that make the reader stretch to understand the connection between them.you can see example simile and metaphor of the picture : http://mrraddish-lakecable.weebly.com/uploads/2/5/7/5/25759526/790599_orig.jpg
Significance of Simile in Literature
Simile can be an excellent way for an author either to make an unusual thing seem more familiar (i.e., “The planet Zenoth was as cold as ice”) or a familiar thing seem more unique (i.e., “Her smile was jagged like a broken zipper”). In this way, similes can help the reader imagine the fictive world of a piece of literature. Good similes can also make readers think about things in a new way, and can sometimes create a lasting effect. Scottish poet Robert Burns’s declaration that his “luve’s like a red, red rose” forever linked the concepts of love and red roses in our minds.Simile can also sometimes be used to show a comparison, though with the conclusion that these two things really are unalike or even at odds with each other. This can either be a negative simile, which might come in the form of “A is not like B” (see Example #1 below) or an ironic simile, which communicates the opposite of what is expected at the beginning of the statement. For example, the famous feminist quote popularized by Gloria Steinem, “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle,” ultimately concludes that a woman has no need for a man.
Simile can help to make new connections for the reader. One of literature’s purposes is to help better explain the world around us, and the technique of simile is one of those ways in which we are able to see things in a new way. All types of analogies are cognitive processes of transferring meaning from one thing to another, and thus the use of simile in literature has real synaptic effects. For this reason, and for aesthetic purposes, simile has been a popular literary technique for many hundreds of years.
Examples of Similes
White as a ghost.
Swims like a fish.
Runs like a cheetah.
Slippery as an eel.
A simile can be as descriptive as the writer chooses.
Examples of more descriptive similes:
He was as brave as a lion in a fight.He was as angry as a bull at a red flag.
He swam like a fish through rough waters.
Similes are used in poetry to create different effects, to create an image of comparison in the reader’s mind of what the writer is describing.
I can get d point of ur explanation about both of them. but i wanna ask you, is there any classification to using the objects as simile or metaphor? Thankyou :)
BalasHapusgood job sis.. I want ask you, please explain me about simile and metaphor by some experts.. thank you for your answer.. :)
BalasHapusif we as a author, why we should make our reader thinking so hard ? we can deliver our message directly without use simile or metaphor, can we ???
BalasHapusplease give example simile in poem
BalasHapusYour explanation is very good so it is easy to understand, I hope for a better future ....
BalasHapushow important we learn about the figure of speech simile and metaphor?? Tq
BalasHapusur explanation so good, good job sist...
BalasHapushow about the word "compare", which was included in the section?
BalasHapusplease give differences between simile and metaphore according experts
BalasHapus