Simile Definition Literature Example

Similes are often confused with metaphors which another different figure of speech used for comparison.

Simile definition literature example. A simile is a figure of speech which compares two different things that have similar properties or characteristics. For example she looks like you is a comparison but not a simile. 3 examples of similes in literature the use of similes is widespread in literature of all kinds because using similes can create vivid descriptions. In literature such comparisons usually using the words like or as are.

Abe is like an old oak. The simile is figurative to compare abe s qualities to the qualities of the old oak. A simile is different from a simple comparison in that it usually compares two unrelated things. Examples of simile in literature writers use simile to add color and feeling to their writing and to allow readers to see something in a new way through the comparison that the simile creates.

Comparing someone to something else is a shorthand way to say lots of things at once and it sounds poetic and clever. Examples of simile in literature. Similes are most commonly signaled by the words like or as. In this example to say abe is like an old oak might mean that he is experienced strong grounded.

Margaret atwood the handmaid s tale 1985. This simile states that abe is figuratively like an old oak. Clearly abe is not literally an old oak. Simile can be used to render the familiar strange and unusual to make the strange seem familiar or to draw a surprising association between things that don t seem to belong together.

The term which originated in the 14th century stems from the latin similis meaning similar or like. Simile is a very effective and widely used literary device. Here are some examples of simile and how it adds to the significance of literary works. Simile pronounced sim uh lee is a literary term where you use like or as to compare two different things and show a common quality between them.