Definition
 A
simile is a figure of speech in which
one thing is directly compared with another.
The
comparison is usually signalled by the terms 'as' or 'like' or
'such'.
Examples
- He was as strong as a lion
- It shot out like a bullet
- "Music is such sweet thunder"
Use
Similies
are part of everyday speech. They may
be used consciously or unconsciously.
They
are often used in imaginative writing such
as fiction and poetry to clarify and enhance an image.
A
simile requires less of an imaginative leap than does a metaphor.
A simile states that A is like B, whereas a metaphor suggests that
A actually is B.
The
simile is one component of imagery. This is the process of evoking
ideas, people, places, feelings and various other connections in
a vivid and effective way.
Imagery
is used in both written and spoken communication in many varieties
of form, from advertising to poetry and from chatting to speech-making.
Simile, metaphor and symbol are
the main types of imagery, and the result is that communication
acquires a creative and vital quality which somehow springs from
the essential act of comparison.
So,
a raindrop can become a crystal, fear can become an abyss, and
jealousy a monster.
By
employing imagery, we interpret the material world and use language
to transmit our vision. |
