Figurative Language

Metaphor
Simile
Personification
Symbol

Metaphors and similes are the backbone of many poems.
• A simile is a comparison between two objects (nouns) connected by like, as, or than or a verb like resembles.
• A simile expresses a similarity, a connection between two things.
• The art working here is that the two things are not normally thought of connecting or going together logically.
• The more dissimilar the objects being compared the more interesting and challenging the reading/listening process.

A simile equation looks like an analogy:
X:Y (x is to y)

By leaving out the connective (like, as, than, etc.), the result is a metaphor. Metaphors are more direct, making the connection deeper and more significant.

• One goal for a poet is to extend the metaphor, thereby prolonging the effect of the comparison.
• By selecting words which recall or connect to the metaphor being made, we can extend the comparison.

A metaphor equation might look like this:

X = Y (x is equal to y)

To extend a metaphor, choose the Y and list words which come to mind when thinking about Y.

Example:
Love is a bird.
X = Y

Bird associated words: peck, fly, feathers, worm, beak, hawk, egg, etc.

Love is a flightless bird
An ostrich with its head in the sand.
What sharp beak pecks my heart
In search of the green worm?
What comes first to this lonesome nest—
The egg or the chicken?