essay with similes and metaphors

Simile vs. Metaphor vs. Analogy: Definitions and Examples

Sean Glatch  |  March 31, 2024  |  9 Comments

The simile, the metaphor, and the analogy are some of the most common literary devices , giving writers the tools to compare different ideas, concepts, and experiences. Yet, because these three devices are all comparisons, it can be difficult to keep track of which device means which. What is a simile vs. metaphor vs. analogy?

Whether you write poetry, fiction, or nonfiction, your writing will drastically improve with the use of these literary devices. Understanding the conundrum of simile vs. metaphor will sharpen the impact of your words, while developing a proper analogy will help you develop a much stronger argument.

This article aims to give you mastery over these essential literary devices, with definitions, examples, and writing exercises for each device. With a deep understanding of simile vs. metaphor vs. analogy, your writing will take on new depth and clarity. Let’s dive in!

Simile vs Metaphor vs Analogy: Contents

Simile Examples

Simile writing exercises, metaphor examples, wielding metaphor effectively.

• Simile Vs Metaphor Examples

The Extended Metaphor

Metaphor writing exercises, analogy examples, analogy writing exercises, side by side: simile vs. metaphor vs. analogy, simile definition: the indirect comparison.

The words “simile” and “similar” come from the same root, and that’s exactly what a simile is: a comparison of similar things.

Specifically, a simile compares two or more items using “like,” “as,” or another comparative preposition. Also known as an “indirect comparison,” the simile allows writers to explore the many facets of complex ideas.

A simile compares two or more items using “like,” “as,” or another comparative preposition.

Take these three simile examples:

• My cat is as loud as Yankee Stadium .
• My cat is soft and fluffy, like a teddy bear .
• My cat destroys furniture the way bulldozers destroy buildings .

These similes offer very different descriptions, yet coexist quite peacefully in my cat—who is, in fact, loud and soft and destructive.

Here are some more simile examples, all of which come from published works of literature.

•  “In the eastern sky there was a yellow patch like a rug laid for the feet of the coming sun” — The Red Badge of Courage , by Stephen Crane

By portraying the color of the horizon like a rug, this simile makes the sun seem regal and majestic. This is also a great example of “show, don’t tell” writing , because we know the sun is rising without being told it’s dawn.

• “The world will burst like an intestine in the sun” — “ Passengers ” by Denis Johnson

What an uncomfortable image! Would you believe this simile is the first line of a sonnet? Comparing the world to a “burst intestine” adds a visceral quality to the poem, as it treats the world as a living organism in peril. Additionally, the words “burst” and “intestine” have a slimy sound to them, making this simile both disturbing and intriguing.

• “You lived your life like a candle in the wind” — “Candle in the Wind” by Elton John (lyrics by Bernie Taupin)

This simile is deceptively simple because it paints a complex image. How does a candle react to the wind? Sometimes it flickers, sometimes it stands even taller, and sometimes it wanes to an ember, waiting for the weather to pass.

Bernie Taupin, Elton John’s co-songwriter, wrote the lyrics for “Candle in the Wind” to commemorate the life of Marilyn Monroe, but although the song is specific to one person, the simile could apply to anyone, demonstrating the simple power of this literary device.

It’s your turn to write some similes! A simile should be concise yet expressive, stimulating the reader’s mind without “spoon feeding” a certain interpretation. As you work through these exercises, keep your simile examples descriptive, yet open-ended.

1. Simile Comparison Lists

On a blank piece of paper, create two lists, with each list containing 6 items.

In one list, jot down six different abstract nouns. An abstract noun is something that doesn’t have a physical presence: words like “love,” “justice,” “anger,” and “envy” are all abstract. Words that end in -ism are usually abstract, too, like “solipsism,” “capitalism,” and “antidisestablishmentarianism.”

In the other list, jot down six different concrete nouns. These are nouns that you can touch or observe—so, even though you can’t touch the planet Neptune, it’s still concrete and observable. Try to use nouns that are in most peoples’ vocabularies: the reader is much more likely to know what a basketball is than what a chatelaine is.

For reference, your list might look like this:

Now, connect each abstract noun to a random concrete noun. Try not to be too intentional about which nouns you connect: the point is to compare two different items at random.

Once you’ve connected your two lists, it’s time to write! You’re going to write six similes, one for each pair of nouns. Your similes will use the concrete noun to describe the abstract noun, offering a deeper understanding of that abstract noun.

For example, I might connect the words “anger” and “pencil sharpener.” The goal is to offer a deeper understanding of “anger” through visual description, so I might write the following simile:

• “Anger, like a pencil sharpener , made my words precise while grinding me to dust.”

Write a simile for every noun pair in your list, and see what you come up with! This exercise might spark an idea for a poem, give you a powerful line for a short story, or simply juice your creativity.

2. Simile Poetry

Something wonderful about similes is their versatility. The same object can be described through a series of similes, each simile building off of each other to build a full and complex image.

There’s even such a thing as simile poetry, which is exactly what it sounds like: a poem consisting of similes. Read the poem Surety by Jane Huffman , which abounds with great simile examples.

The goal of this exercise is to write your own simile poem. We’ll follow a simple four step process to do this.

First, select an object or concept that you want to write about. You have free range here: select something as trivial as a spoon, as complicated as time travel, or as abstract as godhood.

Second, generate a list of nouns. Set a timer for 2 minutes and write down as many nouns as you can think of. Try to stick to concrete nouns, as abstract nouns will prove harder to write with.

Third, write some similes! Compare the topic of your poem to each of the nouns you just listed. You don’t have to use every noun, as there might be nouns in your list that have nothing in common with your topic. The goal is to create strong, impactful similes, each of which demonstrate a different facet of the complex idea you’re writing about.

Fourth, assemble your poem. You can write a poem entirely out of similes the way Jane Huffman did, or you can use these similes strategically, like how Kyle Dargan uses the simile to write his ghazal Points of Contact .

Metaphor Definition: The Direct Comparison

The word “metaphor” comes directly from the Greek word metaphora , “a transfer.” That’s exactly what metaphors do: they transfer identities, altering the reader’s understanding of the nature of something.

A metaphor is a statement in which two items, often unrelated, are treated as the same thing. Also known as a “direct comparison,” metaphors can create powerful imagery and description, deepening the meaning of objects and ideas.

A metaphor is a statement in which two things, often unrelated, are treated as the same thing.

Rather than using “like” or “as” like similes do, metaphors are statements of being, often using words like “is,” “are,” and “became” to make a comparison. Metaphors can also make a comparison without using “being verbs” or other comparison words. Take these three metaphor examples, each of which draw a portrait without using excessive language:

• The grandfather clock is king of the family room furniture .
• The grandfather clock became a death knell for her childhood .
• The grandfather clock had the face of an estranged lover. 

Let’s address what each of these metaphors accomplish. The first metaphor shows us the clock’s size and importance; the second metaphor shows us the clock’s ominous presence, focusing on its sound; the third metaphor treats the clock as forlorn and solitary.

In other words, each of these metaphors express the relevance of the grandfather clock without stating it explicitly. Such is the beauty of metaphors: the ability to tell a story through proximity.

Before we offer some more metaphor examples, we need to discuss two important facets of metaphor writing, especially as they relate to simile vs. metaphor.

First, metaphors rely on the suspension of disbelief—in other words, the reader knows they’re being lied to, but accepts it anyway. Obviously, a clock cannot be a king, nor can it be a death knell or a lover… it’s a clock, after all. Nonetheless, the reader accepts what is being told to them because they trust that the metaphor, and what it conveys, is relevant to the text . Metaphors can be imaginative—magical, even!—but they must be relevant.

The metaphor is more “complete” than the simile.

Second, the metaphor is much more “complete” than the simile. If I was actually writing about a grandfather clock, I would only choose one metaphor and stick with it. Multiple metaphors will contradict each other because they’re creating different statements of being . The reader will inevitably wonder if the clock is actually a king, a death knell, or neither, and this thought process will end up disrupting the reader’s suspension of disbelief. This type of writing is known as a mixed metaphor.

Now, let’s see some more metaphor examples!

The following metaphor examples all come from published works of literature.

• “Whatever causes night in our souls may leave stars.” — Ninety-Three by Victor Hugo

Sometimes, the simplest metaphors carry the most complex meanings. The premise of this direct comparison is easy to understand: the things that trouble us now may strengthen us later. At the very least, those stars are twinkles of wisdom that we gain from life experience, illuminating our paths forward, if dimly.

Yet, the operative word in this metaphor is “may.” The things that trouble us might strengthen us, but they might also create an eternal dusk. And, even with starshine, our souls can very much be blanketed by night.

What emerges from this metaphor is a bittersweet rumination on life and its many perils. Accruing wisdom is always a choice, but faith in the light is vital for anyone to push forward.

• But, look, the morn, in russet mantle clad, Walks o’er the dew of yon high eastern hill. — Hamlet by William Shakespeare

This metaphor is a form of personification, a literary device in which nonhuman objects are given humanlike qualities. Specifically, Shakespeare is comparing the sunrise to that of a person, dressed in “russet” red, walking up a hill.

It’s a simple and beautiful comparison. Instead of saying “the sunrise is red,” Shakespeare personifies the dawn itself, showing us its russet color, its slow ascent, and the morning dew that flecks each blade of grass.

• “I’d like to start a bonfire in my heart but today there’s just a stone; last night, a whirlwind; before, a broken mirror.” —” Hope Poems ” by Jill Robbins

The metaphor  here accomplishes several things, but first, we should note that there are several different metaphors here. Every metaphor has two components: the subject, and the thing that subject is being compared to. (These are known as the “tenor” and the “vehicle,” which we’ll explain in the next section.)

So, the subject (tenor) of this metaphor is the speaker’s heart, and the comparisons (vehicles) are a bonfire, a stone, a whirlwind, and a broken mirror.

Each of these objects describe something different about the speaker’s heart. She would like her heart to be a bonfire—a symbol of passion and livelihood. Instead, her heart is a series of objects that cannot catch fire, with each object symbolic of something else. A stone might symbolize heavy and immovable emotions; a whirlwind might represent the speaker’s capricious feelings; a broken mirror might reflect the speaker’s fragmented sense of self.

“But wait! Isn’t that a mixed metaphor?” Yes—but it’s a mixed metaphor that works . The series of incongruent symbols gives the reader a window into the speaker’s heart. By comparing each symbol to the speaker’s desired “bonfire heart,” the reader recognizes the many emotions preserved in each image.

Aristotle said:

“The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor. It is the one thing that cannot be learned from others; it is also a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an eye for resemblance.” (“De Poetica,” 322 B.C.)

So how can you be a genius?

In a metaphor, one thing is likened to another. Vivid metaphors are considered a mark of good writing. Since a metaphor disregards logic—an object cannot be something else and be itself at the same time—some consider it “superior” to the simile (though there are plenty of superior similes out there).

“Bear in mind That death is a drum Beating for ever Till the last worms come To answer its call.” From “ Drum ” by Langston Hughes

“No man is an island.” John Donne

“Her face is common property.” From “The Bloody Chamber” by Angela Carter

Good metaphors can become, if they grow to be well known, clichés . (Clichés are “dead metaphors.”) Clichés dull your writing. They become almost invisible to the reader. How do you know your metaphor is a cliché? Other than being well read, you can acquaint yourself with lists from a number of books or check Web sites like Cliché Finder .

Another “bad” metaphor is one that is “mixed.” In a mixed metaphor, the parts of the comparison don’t match. They can be funny, but you don’t want them popping up in your serious writing. Examples of mixed metaphors include:

“It’s deja vu all over again.” “The flood of students flew out the doors.” “The insult cut her like a knife; it froze her in mid-sentence.”

There’s also a danger in using metaphor badly and not even realizing we are using metaphors. Jack Lynch, in his “Guide to Grammar and Style” cites this “more or less realistic example of business writing”:

We were swamped with a shocking barrage of work, and the extra burden had a clear impact on our workflow.

“Let’s count the metaphors,” writes Lynch, “we have images of a marsh (swamped), electrocution or striking (shocking), a military assault (barrage), weight (burden), translucency (clear), a physical impression (impact), and a river (flow), all in a mere twenty words. If you can summon up a coherent mental image including all these elements, your imagination’s far superior to mine.”

Lynch then gives a real example from “The New York Times” (11 June 2001):

Over all, many experts conclude, advanced climate research in the United States is fragmented among an alphabet soup of agencies, strained by inadequate computing power and starved for the basic measurements of real-world conditions that are needed to improve simulations.

Lynch: “Let’s see: research is fragmented among soup (among?); it is strained (you can strain soup, I suppose, but I’m unsure how to strain research); and it is starved — not enough soup, I suppose. Or maybe the soup has been strained too thoroughly, leaving people hungry. I dunno.

The moral of the story: pay attention to the literal meaning of figures of speech and your writing will come alive.”

Using metaphors is much more than writing “something is something else.” Using a sustained metaphor that is neither over-extended nor mixed can be effective: We dived into the debate, sank our serrated teeth into their arguments, tore their ideas into bloody shreds, and then swam away to digest our prey

Use metaphors:

• As verbs: The song ignited his lust but snuffed out her interest.
• As adjectives and adverbs: Her carnivorous brush ate up the canvas.
• As prepositional phrases: The old man considered the scene with a blue-white vulture’s eye.
• As appositives or modifiers: On the stairs he stood, a gawking scarecrow.

Simile vs. Metaphor Examples

What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor? There are a few key traits that separate simile vs. metaphor, and understanding them will help you decide which device to use in your work.

Let’s look at the key differences between simile vs. metaphor, and how these differences affect the meaning of each device.

Simile vs. Metaphor: Comparison Words

A simile will always use a comparison word. The most common of these comparison words are “like” and “as,” but there are other ways of denoting comparison, too. The following statements mean virtually the same thing, but use slightly different terms of comparison:

• The elephant sat still, like a statue.
• The elephant sat as still as a statue.
• The elephant sat still the way statues do.

Metaphors, on the other hand, rely on various forms of the verb “to be”—if they use a comparison word at all. Metaphors can also be implied through punctuation and word choice. All of the following are proper constructions for the metaphor:

• The elephant was a statue amongst the trees.
• The elephant had petrified at the sight of the tiger; a statue of instinct.
• The elephant: a marble statue.

You could even make the noun “marble” a verb, though some traditionalist writers dislike the grammar behind this. Nonetheless, “the elephant was marbled at the sight of the tiger” offers a unique image.

Simile vs. Metaphor: Differences of Intensity

When a simile compares two or more items, each item retains their individual meanings. For example, if I said “this pancake is as thick as a Dostoevsky novel,” you can visualize the thickness of both items while still imagining two different objects, the pancake and the book. The simile is humorous while still being descriptive.

With metaphors, the object of comparison takes on a different image. If I said “this pancake is a Dostoevsky novel,” you would envision a pancake about 1,000 pages thick. Sounds delicious!

Here’s a metaphor and a simile side-by-side. Take note of how your mental image differs between these two sentences.

• The little boy clings to his mother like ivy clings to a tree.
• He was an ivy growing up his mother’s legs.

Simile vs. Metaphor: Degree of Magic

Yes, magic! Because metaphors are statements of being (whereas similes are statements of likeness), a metaphor can rely on visual descriptions that aren’t bound by the laws of logic. An elephant can be marble, a boy can be ivy, and my cat is (and always will be) a bulldozer.

Similes, by contrast, cannot make statements quite as “magical” in nature. While you might make comparisons to mystical items with a simile—“she waved her flag like a magic wand”—there are still two distinct objects at the end of the sentence, not one magically combined idea.

As we’ve discussed, it is much harder to describe one thing using multiple metaphors. This will inevitably result in a mixed metaphor, which, unless very tactfully written, will confuse the reader instead of enlighten them.

However, another device you can put in your literary toolbox is the extended metaphor. Sometimes synonymous with the literary device conceit , the extended metaphor allows you to explore the implications of the metaphor you just wrote.

The extended metaphor allows you to explore the implications of the metaphor you just wrote.

Let’s start with a simple metaphor:

• Her heart splashed on the asphalt alongside the rain.

The comparison here is easy to understand, and in fact, this metaphor could stand on its own quite easily. But it can also be expanded to say more about the life cycle of a broken heart.

Extended metaphors exist in both prose and poetry . For now, let’s use prose.

• Her heart splashed on the asphalt alongside the rain. Imagine: a torrent you just can’t quench, eddies of water and heartache iridescing towards the drain pipes. When does the feeling quit gushing through sewage systems and underground rivers? When does the water simply calm down? The heart, it sublimates; the heart, it fizzles and gas-ifies and clouds. Whoever said love is eternal was lying: love is a rain cycle. Our hearts, unstudied weather patterns—precipitating.

For examples of extended metaphor in literature, take a look at these poems.

• Hope is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson
• Landscape with Fruit Rot and Millipede by Richard Siken
• Habitation by Margaret Atwood

Ready to try your hand at the metaphor? These two exercises will help you write sharp, polished direct comparisons.

1. Very-Extended Metaphors

To begin this writing exercise, simply come up with two concrete nouns. You will compare one noun to the other, so try to keep your nouns unrelated to each other, so that you come up with more striking language. For example, don’t use “apples and oranges”, but “elephants and statues” will be perfectly different from each other.

Once you have two concrete nouns, set a timer for 10 minutes.

When the timer starts, write down all of the ways that Noun 1 can be Noun 2. Just jot your ideas down; don’t try to write anything “polished.” For example, an elephant is a statue because elephants can stand perfectly still, some are creamy white, both elephants and statues pose, etc.

When the timer stops, go over everything you wrote down. Examine the different reasons that Noun 1 is Noun 2, and start weaving sentences together to build an extended metaphor. Let each comparison have its own sentence, building an argument through metaphor. Be visual with your description: show the reader how Noun 1 is the same thing as Noun 2. When you’ve woven these ideas together, you’ll have an extended metaphor, which could become part of a poem or prose piece.

2. Opposites Attract, Metaphorically

For this metaphor exercise, think of two concrete nouns that are either opposites or near-opposites.

For example, “trees” and “factories” can be considered near-opposites. One is natural and produces oxygen, the other is man-made and produces carbon dioxide.

How can a tree be a factory? How can a factory be a tree? These questions are best answered in metaphor.

Write a metaphor using the two opposing nouns you chose, and explain why Noun 1 is Noun 2. The goal is to surprise the reader with a comparison they didn’t expect. This type of writing, when a metaphor joins two unalike or unexpected things, is known as a “conceit.”

Analogy Definition: The Argumentative Comparison

The word “analogy” comes from the Greek, roughly translated to mean “proportional.” Analogies argue that two seemingly different items are “proportional” and, in doing so, build an argument about a larger issue. An analogy might not be the central device of your writing, but analogies can contribute much-needed perspective to an argument, appealing to the reader’s sense of logic.

Analogies argue that two seemingly different items are “proportional” and, in doing so, build an argument about a larger issue.

An analogy has two purposes:

• The identification of a shared relationship, and/or
• The use of something familiar to describe something unfamiliar.

This will make sense with some analogy examples. Let’s start with a simple one:

• Finding a new species of fish is like finding a needle in a haystack.

This analogy identifies a shared relationship between two things: namely, that finding both objects is difficult. Additionally, it uses a familiar phrase—“like a needle in a haystack”—to describe something that the reader might not know about.

Additionally, this sentence structure “A is to B” is common for analogies. You might also see the construction “A is to B as C is to D.”

An analogy can take the form of a simile or metaphor.

Finally, you might be wondering: Isn’t that analogy also a simile? And the answer is: Yes! An analogy can take the form of a simile or metaphor, which is why identifying one from the other can be a bit tricky. In a bit, we’ll discuss the differences between simile vs. metaphor vs. analogy. But first, let’s look at more analogy examples.

All of these analogy examples come from published works of literature. In our analysis, we’ll examine what makes each of these analogies distinct from similes and metaphors.

• “That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet” — Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Shakespeare is negating the idea of nominative determinism—the idea that the name of something changes its essential characteristics. The idea of a “sweet smelling rose” is familiar to the reader, and by modifying this idea to call the rose a nameless flower, Shakespeare suggests that the name “rose” has no effect on the rose’s smell.

In Romeo and Juliet , Juliet says this line as part of a larger argument: that her status as a Capulet does not change his love for her, even though he is a Montague. This rejection of family history for the sake of love is central to the play’s tragedy.

• An author who expects results from a first novel is in a position similar to that of a man who drops a rose petal down the Grand Canyon of Arizona and listens for the echo. — Cocktail Time by P. G. Wodehouse

Although his advice is a bit pessimistic, P. G. Wodehouse illustrates his point with a strong analogy. A rose petal will never create an echo, and even if it could, the Grand Canyon is far too deep for anyone to hear it.

Similarly, an author’s first novel probably won’t find resounding success, and even if it does, it will not change the literary landscape on its own. An author needs to put out consequent novels to have a much larger impact—to throw a boulder down the Grand Canyon and hear its echo, metaphorically.

In this analogy, the familiar idea is an echoless rose petal, and the new idea is an author publishing their first book. This analogy could be rewritten in the following way: “a rose petal echoes the way an author’s first book impacts the literary world.”

• As cold water is to a thirsty soul, So is good news from a far country. —Proverbs 25:25

The analogy here is clear and simple: water quenches a parched throat the way good news quenches the soul. The reader is naturally familiar with the feeling of a quenched thirst, making it much easier to understand the sense of relief begat by good news—especially if you’re worried about bad news.

This analogy has a sentence structure common to analogies: “A is to B as C is to D.”

Ready to write your own analogy examples? These two exercises will jumpstart your creativity.

1. Start With a Simile

As you’ve seen in the above analogy examples, many analogies can also be characterized as similes. For this exercise, we’re going to start with similes.

Just as we did in the first simile writing exercise, we’re going to create two lists: a list of concrete nouns, and a list of abstract nouns.

Follow the instructions from our first writing exercise for similes, and when you’ve generated a list of similes, we’re going to turn them into analogies.

How do you turn a simile into an analogy? An analogy has two parts: information that’s familiar to the reader, and information that’s new to the reader.

Let’s say you wrote down the line “his car horn sounds like an electric goose.” The electric goose is familiar to the reader: they can imagine that sound in their head. “His car horn” is not familiar, because the reader hasn’t heard this particular car horn before.

The best way to create an analogy from a simile is to use parallel structure , which means both parts of the analogy are constructed the same. Both the horn and the goose “honks,” which makes “honking” the piece of information most familiar to the reader. If we use parallel structure and rely on common information, we can turn the simile into the following analogy:

“He honks his horn like a goose honks at strangers.”

It’s that simple! Of course, whatever analogies you write, you may decide to expand on them more. Analogies can be arguments on their own, and they can also tie into a larger thesis or idea. However, an analogy should be self-explanatory: the reader should not need additional information to understand it.

2. A is to B as C is to D

All you need for this writing exercise is five words: one verb and two pairs of concrete nouns.

Come up with these words however you like. Use a word generator, create a list, flip to a random page in the dictionary, etc. The only requirement is that two of your four nouns can do the verb. (A dolphin can swim, but it can’t type on a keyboard, for example.)

Your list might look like this:

• Verb: Coddle
• Noun Pairs: mother and son, artist and easel

Once you have these words selected, you have everything you need to write an analogy. Your next step is to put them in the sentence structure “A is to B as C is to D.”

So, for the words I randomly selected, my analogy could read like this: “a mother coddles her son the way an insecure artist coddles his easel.”

And there, I have an analogy! If I wanted to, I could write more about how an artist should let go of micromanaging the canvas, allowing art to develop naturally through the artistic process. However, my analogy makes this argument on its own, which a proper analogy should do.

What do similes, metaphors, and analogies have in common, and how do they differ? We’ve summarized this at the following Venn Diagram comparing simile vs. metaphor vs. analogy.

Simile vs. Metaphor vs. Analogy Venn Diagram

Explore More Literary Devices at Writers.com!

Want to sharpen your language with interesting similes, metaphors, and analogies? The resources at Writers.com can help! Our online writing courses can help you learn the tools of writing and finish your works-in-progress. You can also follow our Instagram and join our Facebook group for weekly writing tips and our one-of-a-kind writing community. We hope to see you there!

Sean Glatch

Thanks, Sean. I’m sure this will be helpful for many writers. I’m sharing on Facebook… and on Twitter.

Thank you so much, Kathy!

Sean, This section was very informative.Could you clarify my doubt?.In the poem Amanda by Robin Klein.. (I am an orphan, roaming the street.

I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.

The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.) I am an orphan is stated as a metaphor. A comparison is made between her and an orphan. From what I’ve understood it’s not one as orphan is not an inanimate object.PLease clarify my doubt. Thanks Regards Sanzie

Thanks for your question! Yes, “I am an orphan” is absolutely a metaphor here. Our article mostly sticks to inanimate objects because metaphors with human identities can be tricky to navigate. That said, anything that is a noun can be used in a metaphor. Saying “the grandfather clock is king of the furniture” is also a metaphor using a human identity.

I hope this adds some clarity!

Elton John didn’t write ‘Candle in the Wind’ – that was lyricist Bernie Taupin’s work.

Thank you for this correction! I’ve updated the article accordingly.

Warmest, Sean

This was super helpful! The most descriptive explanation I have found. Thank you!

Thanks, this is helpful Well explained even to my understanding Great impact!

This article is refreshing, like a tall cold lemonade on a scorchingly hot day.

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Powerful Examples of Similes and Metaphors to Improve Your Writing

Understanding similes, simile definition, examples of similes, tips for using similes, understanding metaphors, metaphor definition, examples of metaphors, tips for using metaphors, applying similes and metaphors in your writing, enhancing description, creating imagery, adding emotion and depth, similes and metaphors in literature, classic literature, modern literature, similes and metaphors in pop culture, movies and tv, advertising.

Similes and metaphors are powerful tools that can help you take your writing to the next level. They allow you to create vivid imagery and evoke emotions in your readers, making your work more engaging and memorable. In this blog, we'll explore simile and metaphor examples, along with tips on how to use them effectively in your writing. Let's dive in!

Similes are a type of figurative language that compare two different things using the words "like" or "as." They help your readers better visualize and understand the ideas you want to convey. Let's start with the basics:

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the words "like" or "as." This comparison highlights a specific quality or characteristic shared by the two things, making the description more vivid and relatable. For example:

• Her smile was as warm as the sun on a summer day.
• He ran like the wind, leaving everyone else behind.

Similes can add depth and color to your writing, making it more engaging. Here are some more simile examples to inspire you:

• Her eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky.
• He was as stubborn as a mule, refusing to change his mind.
• Their love was as deep as the ocean.
• The baby's laughter was as sweet as the sound of a music box.
• The room was as silent as a graveyard at midnight.

To make the most of similes in your writing, keep these tips in mind:

• Be specific: Choose comparisons that paint a clear and vivid picture for your readers.
• Be relevant: Make sure the simile adds value to your writing and supports the point you're trying to make.
• Avoid clichés: Steer clear of overused similes, like "as busy as a bee" or "as cool as a cucumber." Instead, get creative and come up with your own unique simile and metaphor examples.

Metaphors, like similes, are a form of figurative language that can enrich your writing by creating strong imagery and conveying emotions. However, they differ from similes in one key aspect—metaphors don't use "like" or "as" for comparison. Instead, they directly state that one thing is another. Let's take a closer look:

A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action by equating it with something else, without using "like" or "as." This comparison helps to emphasize a particular quality or characteristic of the object or action. For example:

• Her voice was music to his ears.
• Time is a thief that steals our moments away.

Using metaphors in your writing can create powerful imagery and make your words more memorable. Here are some metaphor examples to spark your creativity:

• All the world's a stage , and we are merely players.
• My thoughts are swirling leaves in the wind of my mind.
• Her heart is a garden blooming with kindness.
• The sun is a golden coin tossed into the sky.
• His words were daggers that pierced her heart.

When incorporating metaphors into your writing, consider these guidelines:

• Be original: Avoid clichéd metaphors that your readers have likely encountered before. Create your own fresh and unique metaphor examples.
• Stay focused: Ensure that your metaphor is relevant to the point you're trying to make and enhances the overall message.
• Keep it simple: While it's tempting to craft complex metaphors, remember that clarity is key. Keep your metaphors straightforward and easy to understand.

Similes and metaphors can add depth, emotion, and vivid imagery to your writing. When used effectively, they can elevate your work and create a lasting impression on your readers. Let's explore some ways to incorporate similes and metaphor examples into your writing:

Both similes and metaphors can help you describe characters, settings, and emotions more vividly. By comparing an object or action to something else, you can create a more striking image in your reader's mind:

• His eyes were as cold as ice when he looked at her. (simile)
• The city was a sleeping giant waiting to be awakened by the first rays of sunlight. (metaphor)

By comparing objects, actions, or emotions to something unexpected, similes and metaphors can paint vivid pictures in your reader's mind. This can enhance the overall reading experience and make your words more memorable:

• The clouds were like cotton candy floating in the sky. (simile)
• Her laughter was a symphony of joy that filled the room. (metaphor)

Similes and metaphors can be powerful tools for expressing emotions and adding depth to your writing. By choosing the right comparisons, you can evoke specific feelings or create a particular mood:

• She felt as if a thousand butterflies were fluttering in her stomach. (simile)
• Grief was a heavy stone that weighed her down. (metaphor)

Remember, the key to successful use of similes and metaphor examples is to be creative, clear, and relevant to the message you want to convey. By incorporating these techniques in your writing, you can create a stronger connection with your readers and leave a lasting impression.

Similes and metaphors have been used by writers throughout history to create memorable, evocative works. Let's look at some examples of similes and metaphors in both classic and modern literature, as well as poetry.

In classic literature, similes and metaphors have been used to create rich descriptions and convey emotions. Here are a few powerful examples:

• In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: "People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for, and they have the right to subject their children to it all."
• In Great Expectations by Charles Dickens: "Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be."
• In Moby Dick by Herman Melville: "The sun hides not the ocean, which is the dark side of this earth, and which is two thirds of this earth."

Modern literature also employs similes and metaphors to create vivid imagery and evoke emotions. Here are some examples:

• In The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: "My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations."
• In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: "Hope is the only thing stronger than fear."
• In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling: "The castle was a vast maze of ramparts, turrets, and halls."

Poetry often relies heavily on similes and metaphors to create powerful imagery and convey emotions. Here are some examples from famous poets:

• In "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference."
• In "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns: "O my Luve is like a red, red rose / That's newly sprung in June; / O my Luve is like the melody / That's sweetly played in tune."
• In "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth: "For oft, when on my couch I lie / In vacant or in pensive mood, / They flash upon that inward eye / Which is the bliss of solitude."

By examining simile and metaphor examples in literature, you can gain inspiration and insight into how these powerful devices can enhance your own writing and create a lasting impact on your readers.

Similes and metaphors aren't just limited to literature—they also play a significant role in popular culture. Let's explore some examples of similes and metaphors in music, movies, TV shows, and advertising to see how these devices add depth and meaning to our everyday entertainment.

Music often uses similes and metaphors to create vivid imagery and convey emotions. Here are a few examples from popular songs:

• In "Firework" by Katy Perry: "Do you ever feel like a plastic bag / Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?"
• In "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston: "If I should stay / I would only be in your way / So I'll go but I know / I'll think of you every step of the way."
• In "Let It Be" by The Beatles: "When the brokenhearted people living in the world agree / There will be an answer, let it be."

Movies and television shows often use similes and metaphors to create memorable scenes and lines. Here are some examples:

• In Forrest Gump : "Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get."
• In The Dark Knight : "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
• In Game of Thrones : "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground."

Advertisers often use similes and metaphors to create catchy slogans and memorable ads. Here are some examples:

• In Nike's slogan: "Just do it."
• In McDonald's slogan: "I'm lovin' it."
• In Apple's "Think Different" campaign: "Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers."

By examining simile and metaphor examples in pop culture, you can see how these powerful devices add depth and meaning to our everyday entertainment, making them more memorable and engaging for audiences.

If you're eager to expand your illustration skills and learn how to create intricate designs using simple shapes, we highly recommend Juliet Schreckinger's workshop, ' Composing Complex Illustrations using Basic Shapes '. This workshop offers valuable techniques and tips to help you master the art of composing complex illustrations with basic shapes, taking your creativity to new heights.

Live classes every day

Learn from industry-leading creators

Get useful feedback from experts and peers

Best deal of the year

* billed annually after the trial ends.

*Billed monthly after the trial ends.

Practice in Using Metaphors and Similes

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

Similes and metaphors can be used to convey ideas as well as offer striking images. Consider the simile in the first sentence below and the extended metaphor in the second:

Her mind was like a balloon with static cling, attracting random ideas as they floated by. (Jonathan Franzen, Purity . Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2015) I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking. Recording the man shaving at the window opposite and the woman in the kimono washing her hair. Some day, all this will have to be developed, carefully printed, fixed. (Christopher Isherwood, The Berlin Stories . New Directions, 1945)

Metaphors and similes can not only make our writing more interesting but also help us think more carefully about our subjects. Put another way, metaphors and similes aren't just fanciful expressions or pretty ornaments; they are ways of thinking .

So how do we begin to create metaphors and similes? For one thing, we should be ready to play with language and ideas. A comparison like the following, for example, might appear in an early draft of an essay:

• Laura sang like an old cat.

As we revise our draft, we might try adding more details to the comparison to make it more precise and interesting:

• When Laura sang, she sounded like a cat sliding down a chalkboard.

Be alert to the ways in which other writers use similes and metaphors in their work. Then, as you revise your own paragraphs and essays, see if you can make your descriptions more vivid and your ideas clearer by creating original similes and metaphors.

Practice Using Similes and Metaphors

Here's an exercise that will give you some practice in creating figurative comparisons . For each of the statements below, make up a simile or a metaphor that helps to explain each statement and make it more vivid. If several ideas come to you, jot them all down. When you're done, compare your response to the first sentence with the sample comparisons at the end of the exercise.

• George has been working at the same automobile factory six days a week, ten hours a day, for the past twelve years. ( Use a simile or a metaphor to show how worn out George was feeling. )
• Katie had been working all day in the summer sun. ( Use a simile or a metaphor to show how hot and tired Katie was feeling. )
• This is Kim Su's first day at college, and she is in the middle of a chaotic morning registration session. ( Use a simile or a metaphor to show either how confused Kim feels or how chaotic the entire session is. )
• Victor spent his entire summer vacation watching quiz shows and soap operas on television. ( Use a simile or a metaphor to describe the state of Victor's mind by the end of his vacation. )
• After all the troubles of the past few weeks, Sandy felt peaceful at last. ( Use a simile or a metaphor to describe how peaceful or relieved Sandy was feeling. )

Sample Responses to Sentence #1

• a. George felt as worn out as the elbows on his work shirt.
• b. George felt as worn out as his deeply scuffed work boots.
• c. George felt worn out, like an old punching bag in a neighbor's garage.
• d. George felt as worn out as the rusted Impala that carried him to work every day.
• e. George felt as worn out as an old joke that was never very funny in the first place.
• f. George felt worn out and useless--just another broken fan belt, a burst radiator hose, a stripped wing nut, a discharged battery.
• Using Similes and Metaphors to Enrich Our Writing (Part 1)
• Use Song Lyrics (with Caution) to Teach Figures of Speech
• Simile Definition and Examples
• Valentine's Day Language: Learning Idioms, Metaphors, and Similes
• Engage Kids With Songs That Can Teach Them About Metaphors
• Figure of Speech: Definition and Examples
• A Collection of Classic Love Poetry for Your Sweetheart
• What Is Personification?
• What Is a Creative Metaphor?
• Brief Introductions to Common Figures of Speech
• Use Popular Songs to Teach Similes
• Take This Test and Learn How to Make Your Writing More Interesting
• The Power and Pleasure of Metaphor
• Hyperbole: Definition and Examples
• What Is Writing Like?
• How Similes Work

• FRONT MATTER
• TABLE OF CONTENTS

Definitions, Metaphors, Similes, and Analogies

Take a tip from Einstein. In one of his famous papers published in 1905 when he was 25 years old, “On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies,” he completely transformed our understanding of physical laws and introduced his theory of relativity. In order to do this, he first proposed that the laws of physics are absolute, then he made both time and distance relative. Equations aside, to help us accept what was then an unthinkably brash concept, he wrote about how we merely understand time as a condition of simultaneity:

We have to take into account that all our judgments in which time plays a part are always judgments of simultaneous events. If, for instance, I say, “That train arrives here at 7 o’clock,” I mean something like this: “The pointing of the small hand of my watch to 7 and the arrival of the train are simultaneous events.”

Note what Einstein turns to as he aims to help us re-invent our notion of time: trains and clocks . In other words, he uses comparisons to things that we see as everyday. In particular when we contemplate science, we turn to comparisons—often by using similes, metaphors, or analogies—to simplify and to define. Such comparisons, when deployed well, can have the impact of the proverbial “light bulb” illumination for our readers—they understand suddenly, and hopefully they agree. And even if they disagree with our ideas—and Einstein’s paper on relativity was first rejected in its dissertation form, so take comfort—they have to consider them carefully.

Well-made comparisons, then, make us think, and the rhetorical tools by which we compare, such as metaphor, are handy, well-established, and universal. In fact, to explain what happened to him in 1905 with the explosion of his seminal papers and the birth of the world’s most famous equation, Einstein even used a metaphor: “A storm broke loose in my mind,” he famously said.

Providing Definitions

An important consideration in writing personal statements is when to provide definitions of key terms and concepts. The decision can be driven largely by audience and context, based on your audience’s likely level of understanding of the subject matter and the importance of the definition to the context of your essay.

At times, the material itself will be technical enough and important enough to context that you will need to supply a quick definition, as in this excerpt from a personal essay about neuroscience appearing in Chapter 4:

One of the projects I worked on during that summer was developing a diagnostic procedure for HIV encephalitis using PK11195, a ligand for the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor present on the mitochondria of macrophages.

Here, the definition of PK11195 is important to audience and context—both of which are clearly scientific—and the efficient wording demonstrates that the writer is both comfortable with the language of science and understands her project. In this same essay, however, the writer did not specifically define “HIV encephalitis,” “ligand,” and “pathogenesis,” fully aware that her audience members would already be familiar with these terms.

A further example from Chapter 4, written by a student studying medieval literature, is a more conversational and expansive definition:

Ogam is not a spoken language, rather, a code of inscriptions that gave the Irish language an alphabet and supplied the Irish people with a means of writing on stone, wood, and other natural elements with relative ease.

In this essay, the writer’s goal is to study Ogam in graduate school, so she supplies a contextual and historical explanation of its meaning in plain, direct language.

For help in supplying definitions, don’t hesitate to turn to authoritative sources, including your advisors and dictionaries specific to your field, citing your sources as needed.

Making Fundamental Comparisons

In addition to definition as a stylistic device, one of the best ways to make fundamental comparisons in writing is by using analogies, similes, and metaphors. Analogies, similes, and metaphors can be used to compare unlike but arguably similar things, either by implicit or explicit comparison. Such comparisons help aid our understanding and can be used to clarify or strengthen an argument, and they do so with efficiency. As with definitions, issues of audience and context help guide us in deciding when to employ these devices.

Here, we need not worry about exact distinctions among similes, metaphors, and analogies, other than a reminder that when we use them we often rely on phrasings such as “like” or “as,” and that when we make a fairly loose comparison we might use quotation marks around the words whose meaning we’re “stretching” (as I just did). Here are just a few commonly used similes, metaphors, and analogies from various disciplines:

In discussions of grammar, we might refer to a colon as acting like a flare in the road—a symbolic promise that something important is coming. A semicolon in a sentence’s middle acts like a caesura does in music or verse—as a timely pause linking two related parts. In biology, mitochondria are often referred to metaphorically as the powerhouse of the cell, while the liver is loosely referred to as the body’s “garbage can.” In discussing fungi, there’s a bright yellow fungus that grows on wet logs in the northwestern US, and it can be compared visually to a pat of melting butter. Underground, the roots of some mushrooms resemble the legs of a toe-standing ballet dancer. In information technology discussions, we often speak of cyberspace as a metaphorically parallel world, with clipboards for saving information, surfing as virtual travel, and gophers allowing us to tunnel through to some desired goal.

As examples from personal essays written by students, what follows are a few fundamental comparisons that writers made through analogy, simile, and metaphor, with their surrounding material further explaining the comparisons. Notice how none of the comparisons are difficult to grasp, but all are illuminating.

These ripples of space-time curvature, called gravity waves, are radiated outward much like ripples in a pond. The model uses the compartmentalized cascade to treat the intrinsic pathway as a “black box” leading to the output of thrombin in the common pathway. I established a home for myself in a metaphysical and emotional space: the space where my family, passions, and goals all intersect.

As these writers did, when composing personal essays you should consider the similes, metaphors, and analogies available—even if they are commonly used—as efficient ways to demonstrate stylistic creativity, represent your understanding of a topic, describe related phenomena, and discuss fundamental concepts important to your field.

For further guidance on using definitions, similes, and metaphors in writing, turn to these sources:

"Writing: Similies and Metaphors" page from the University of Missouri

"What is Writing Like?" article, explaining the writing experience through 20 similes and metaphors, from about.com

Figurative Language

Figurative Language Definition

What is figurative language? Here’s a quick and simple definition:

Figurative language is language that contains or uses figures of speech . When people use the term "figurative language," however, they often do so in a slightly narrower way. In this narrower definition, figurative language refers to language that uses words in ways that deviate from their literal interpretation to achieve a more complex or powerful effect. This view of figurative language focuses on the use of figures of speech that play with the meaning of words, such as metaphor , simile , personification , and hyperbole .

Some additional key details about figurative language:

• Figurative language is common in all sorts of writing, as well as in spoken language.
• Figurative language refers to language that contains figures of speech, while figures of speech are the particular techniques. If figurative speech is like a dance routine, figures of speech are like the various moves that make up the routine.
• It's a common misconception that imagery, or vivid descriptive language, is a kind of figurative language. In fact, writers can use figurative language as one tool to help create imagery, but imagery does not have to use figurative language.

Figurative Language Pronunciation

Here's how to pronounce figurative language: fig -yer-uh-tiv lang -gwij

Figures of Speech and Figurative Language

To fully understand figurative language, it's helpful to have a basic understanding of figures of speech. More specifically, it's helpful to understand the two main types of figures of speech: tropes and schemes .

• Tropes are figures of speech that play with and shift the expected and literal meaning of words.
• Schemes are figures of speech that involve a change from the typical mechanics of a sentence, such as the order, pattern, or arrangement of words.

Put even more simply: tropes play with the meaning of words, while schemes play with the structure of words, phrases, and sentences.

The Different Things People Mean When They Say Figurative Language

When people say figurative language, they don't always mean the precise same thing. Here are the three different ways people usually talk about figurative language:

• Dictionary definition of figurative language: According to the dictionary, figurative language is simply any language that contains or uses figures of speech. This definition would mean that figurative language includes the use of both tropes and schemes.
• Much more common real world use of figurative language: However, when people (including teachers) refer to figurative language, they usually mean language that plays with the literal meaning of words. This definition sees figurative language as language that primarily involves the use of tropes.
• Another common real world use of figurative language: Some people define figurative language as including figures of speech that play with meaning as well as a few other common schemes that affect the rhythm and sound of text, such as alliteration and assonance .

What does all that boil down to for you? If you hear someone talking about figurative language, you can usually safely assume they are referring to language that uses figures of speech to play with the meaning of words and, perhaps, with the way that language sounds or feels.

Common Types of Figurative Language

There are many, many types of figures of speech that can be involved in figurative language. Some of the most common are:

• Metaphor : A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unrelated things by stating that one thing is another thing, even though this isn't literally true. For example, the phrase "her lips are a blooming rose" obviously doesn't literally mean what it says—it's a metaphor that makes a comparison between the red beauty and promise of a blooming rose with that of the lips of the woman being described.
• Simile : A simile, like a metaphor, makes a comparison between two unrelated things. However, instead of stating that one thing is another thing (as in metaphor), a simile states that one thing is like another thing. An example of a simile would be to say "they fought like cats and dogs."
• Oxymoron : An oxymoron pairs contradictory words in order to express new or complex meanings. In the phrase "parting is such sweet sorrow" from Romeo and Juliet , "sweet sorrow" is an oxymoron that captures the complex and simultaneous feelings of pain and pleasure associated with passionate love.
• Hyperbole : Hyperbole is an intentional exaggeration of the truth, used to emphasize the importance of something or to create a comic effect. An example of a hyperbole is to say that a backpack "weighs a ton." No backpack literally weighs a ton, but to say "my backpack weighs ten pounds" doesn't effectively communicate how burdensome a heavy backpack feels.
• Personification : In personification, non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent to their plans." Describing the rain as "indifferent" is an example of personification, because rain can't be "indifferent," nor can it feel any other human emotion.
• Idiom : An idiom is a phrase that, through general usage within a particular group or society, has gained a meaning that is different from the literal meaning of the words. The phrase "it's raining cats and dogs" is known to most Americans to mean that it's raining hard, but an English-speaking foreigner in the United States might find the phrase totally confusing.
• Onomatopoeia : Onomatopoeia is a figure of speech in which words evoke the actual sound of the thing they refer to or describe. The “boom” of a firework exploding, the “tick tock” of a clock, and the “ding dong” of a doorbell are all examples of onomatopoeia.
• Synecdoche : In synecdoche, a part of something is used to refer to its whole . For example, "The captain commands one hundred sails" is a synecdoche that uses "sails" to refer to ships—ships being the thing of which a sail is a part.
• Metonymy : Metonymy is a figure of speech in which an object or concept is referred to not by its own name, but instead by the name of something closely associated with it. For example, in "Wall Street prefers lower taxes," the New York City street that was the original home of the New York Stock Exchange stands in for (or is a "metonym" for) the entire American financial industry.
• Alliteration : In alliteration, the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “ b ” sound in: “ B ob b rought the b ox of b ricks to the b asement.” Alliteration uses repetition to create a musical effect that helps phrases to stand out from the language around them.
• Assonance : The repetition of vowel sounds repeat in nearby words, such as the " ee " sound: "the squ ea ky wh ee l gets the gr ea se." Like alliteration, assonance uses repeated sounds to create a musical effect in which words echo one another.

Figurative Language vs. Imagery

Many people (and websites) argue that imagery is a type of figurative language. That is actually incorrect. Imagery refers to a writers use of vivid and descriptive language to appeal to the reader's senses and more deeply evoke places, things, emotions, and more. The following sentence uses imagery to give the reader a sense of how what is being described looks, feels, smells, and sounds:

The night was dark and humid, the scent of rotting vegetation hung in the air, and only the sound of mosquitoes broke the quiet of the swamp.

This sentence uses no figurative language. Every word means exactly what it says, and the sentence is still an example of the use of imagery. That said, imagery can use figurative language, often to powerful effect:

The night was dark and humid, heavy with a scent of rotting vegetation like a great-aunt's heavy and inescapable perfume, and only the whining buzz of mosquitoes broke the silence of the swamp.

In this sentence, the description has been made more powerful through the use of a simile ("like a great-aunt's..."), onomatopoeia ("whining buzz," which not only describes but actually sounds like the noise made by mosquitoes), and even a bit of alliteration in the " s ilence of the s wamp."

To sum up: imagery is not a form of figurative language. But a writer can enhance his or her effort to write imagery through the use of figurative language.

Figurative Language Examples

Figurative language is more interesting, lively, beautiful, and memorable than language that's purely literal. Figurative language is found in all sorts of writing, from poetry to prose to speeches to song lyrics, and is also a common part of spoken speech. The examples below show a variety of different types of figures of speech. You can see many more examples of each type at their own specific LitChart entries.

Figurative Language Example: Metaphor

Metaphor in shakespeare's romeo and juliet.

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , Romeo uses the following metaphor in Act 2 Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet , after sneaking into Juliet's garden and catching a glimpse of her on her balcony:

But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

Romeo compares Juliet to the sun not only to describe how radiantly beautiful she is, but also to convey the full extent of her power over him. He's so taken with Juliet that her appearances and disappearances affect him like those of the sun. His life "revolves" around Juliet like the earth orbits the sun.

Figurative Language Example: Simile

In this example of a simile from Slaughterhouse-Five , Billy Pilgrim emerges from an underground slaughterhouse where he has been held prisoner by the Germans during the deadly World War II firebombing of Dresden:

It wasn't safe to come out of the shelter until noon the next day. When the Americans and their guards did come out, the sky was black with smoke. The sun was an angry little pinhead. Dresden was like the moon now , nothing but minerals. The stones were hot. Everybody else in the neighborhood was dead.

Vonnegut uses simile to compare the bombed city of Dresden to the moon in order to capture the totality of the devastation—the city is so lifeless that it is like the barren moon.

Figurative Language Example: Oxymoron

These lines from Chapter 7 of Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls describe an encounter between Robert Jordan, a young American soldier fighting in the Spanish Civil War, and his lover María.

She held herself tight to him and her lips looked for his and then found them and were against them and he felt her, fresh, new and smooth and young and lovely with the warm, scalding coolness and unbelievable to be there in the robe that was as familiar as his clothes, or his shoes, or his duty and then she said, frightenedly, “And now let us do quickly what it is we do so that the other is all gone.”

The couple's relationship becomes a bright spot for both of them in the midst of war, but ultimately also a source of pain and confusion for Jordan, as he struggles to balance his obligation to fight with his desire to live happily by Maria's side. The contradiction contained within the oxymoron "scalding coolness" emphasizes the couple's conflicting emotions and impossible situation.

Figurative Language Example: Hyperbole

Elizabeth Bennet, the most free-spirited character in Pride and Prejudice , refuses Mr. Darcy's first marriage proposal with a string of hyperbole :

From the very beginning, from the first moment I may almost say, of my acquaintance with you, your manners impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form that ground-work of disapprobation, on which succeeding events have built so immoveable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.

Elizabeth's closing statement, that Darcy is the "last man in the world" whom she would ever marry, is an obvious hyperbole. It's hard to believe that Elizabeth would rather marry, say, an axe murderer or a diseased pirate than Mr. Darcy. Even beyond the obvious exaggeration, Austen's use of hyperbole in this exchange hints at the fact that Elizabeth's feelings for Darcy are more complicated than she admits, even to herself. Austen drops various hints throughout the beginning of the novel that Elizabeth feels something beyond mere dislike for Darcy. Taken together with these hints, Elizabeth's hyperbolic statements seem designed to convince not only Darcy, but also herself, that their relationship has no future.

Figurative Language Example: Personification

In Chapter 1 of The Scarlet Letter , Nathaniel Hawthorne describes a wild rose bush that grows in front of Salem's gloomy wooden jail:

But, on one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rose-bush, covered, in this month of June, with its delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned criminal as he came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart of Nature could pity and be kind to him.

In the context of the novel's setting in 17th century Boston, this rose bush, which grows wild in front of an establishment dedicated to enforcing harsh puritan values, symbolizes those elements of human nature that cannot be repressed, no matter how strict a community's moral code may be: desire, fertility, and a love of beauty. By personifying the rosebush as "offering" its blossoms to reflect Nature's pity (Nature is also personified here as having a "heart"), Hawthorne turns the passive coincidence of the rosebush's location into an image of human nature actively resisting its constraints.

Figurative Language Example: Idiom

Figurative language example: onomatopoeia.

In Act 3, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's The Tempest , Caliban uses onomatopoeia to convey the noises of the island.

Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises, Sounds, and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices...

The use of onomatopoeia makes the audience feel the sounds on the island, rather than just have to take Caliban's word about there being noises.

Figurative Language Example: Synecdoche

In Act 4, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's Macbeth , an angry Macbeth kicks out a servant by saying:

Take thy face hence.

Here, "thy face" stands in for "you." Macbeth is simply telling the servant to leave, but his use of synecdoche makes the tone of his command more harsh and insulting because he uses synecdoche to treat the servant not as a person but as an object, a body part.

Figurative Language Example: Metonymy

In his song "Juicy," Notorious B.I.G. raps:

Now I'm in the limelight 'cause I rhyme tight

Here he's using "limelight" as a metonymy for fame (a "limelight" was a kind of spotlight used in old theaters, and so it came to be associated with the fame of being in the spotlight). Biggie's use of metonymy here also sets him up for a sweet rhyme.

Figurative Language Example: Alliteration

In his song "Rap God," Eminem shows his incredible lyrical dexterity by loading up the alliteration :

S o I wanna make sure, s omewhere in this chicken s cratch I S cribble and doodle enough rhymes T o maybe t ry t o help get s ome people through t ough t imes But I gotta k eep a few punchlines Just in c ase, ‘ c ause even you un s igned Rappers are hungry l ooking at me l ike it's l unchtime…

Why Do Writers Use Figurative Language?

The term figurative language refers to a whole host of different figures of speech, so it's difficult to provide a single definitive answer to why writers use figurative language. That said, writers use figurative language for a wide variety of reasons:

• Interest and beauty: Figurative language allows writes to express descriptions, ideas, and more in ways that are unique and beautiful.
• Complexity and power: Because figurative language can create meanings that go beyond the literal, it can capture complex ideas, feelings, descriptions, or truths that cause readers to see things in a new way, or more closely mirror the complex reality of the world.
• Visceral affect: Because figurative language can both impact the rhythm and sound of language, and also connect the abstract (say, love) with the concrete (say, a rose), it can help language make an almost physical impact on a reader.
• Humor: By allowing a writer to layer additional meanings over literal meanings, or even to imply intended meanings that are the opposite of the literal meaning, figurative language gives writers all sorts of options for creating humor in their writing.
• Realism: People speak and even think in terms of the sorts of comparisons that underlie so much figurative language. Rather than being flowery, figurative language allows writers to describe things in ways that match how people really think about them, and to create characters who themselves feel real.

In general, figurative language often makes writing feel at once more accessible and powerful, more colorful, surprising, and deep.

Other Helpful Figurative Language Resources

• The dictionary definition of figurative : Touches on figurative language, as well as some other meanings of the word.
• Figurative and Frost : Examples of figurative language in the context of the poetry of Robert Frost.
• Figurative YouTube : A video identifying various forms of figurative language from movies and television shows.
• Wikipedia on literal and figurative language : A bit technical, but with a good list of examples.

• PDFs for all 136 Lit Terms we cover
• Downloads of 1916 LitCharts Lit Guides
• Teacher Editions for every Lit Guide
• Explanations and citation info for 40,380 quotes across 1916 books
• Downloadable (PDF) line-by-line translations of every Shakespeare play
• Alliteration
• Figure of Speech
• Onomatopoeia
• Personification
• Tragic Hero
• Colloquialism
• Juxtaposition
• Connotation
• Understatement
• Anthropomorphism
• Static Character
• Round Character
• End-Stopped Line

TRY OUR FREE APP

Write your book in Reedsy Studio. Try the beloved writing app for free today.

Craft your masterpiece in Reedsy Studio

Plan, write, edit, and format your book in our free app made for authors.

Blog • Perfecting your Craft

Last updated on Feb 11, 2022

90+ Must-Know Metaphor Examples to Improve Your Prose

What figure of speech is so meta that it forms the very basis of riddles? The answer: a metaphor.

As Milan Kundera wrote in The Unbearable Lightness of Being : “Metaphors are dangerous. Metaphors are not to be trifled with.” Yet, paradoxically, they are an inescapable part of our daily lives — which is why it’s all the more important to understand exactly how they function.

To help, this article has a list of 97 metaphor examples to show you what they look like in the wild. But if you have a moment to spare, let's learn a bit more about what a metaphor is.

What is a metaphor?

A metaphor is a literary device that imaginatively draws a comparison between two unlike things. It does this by stating that Thing A is Thing B. Through this method of equation, metaphors can help explain concepts and ideas by colorfully linking the unknown to the known; the abstract to the concrete; the incomprehensible to the comprehensible. It can also be a rhetorical device that specifically appeals to our sensibilities as readers.

To give you a starting point, here are some examples of common metaphors:

• “Bill is an early bird.”
• “Life is a highway.”
• “Her eyes were diamonds.”

Note that metaphors are always non-literal. As much as you might like to greet your significant other with a warhammer in hand (“love is a battlefield”) or bring 50 tanks of gasoline every time you go on a date (“love is a journey”), that’s not likely to happen in reality. Another spoiler alert: no, Katy Perry doesn't literally think that you're a firework. Rather, these are all instances of metaphors in action.

How does a metaphor differ from a simile?

Simile and metaphor are both figures of speech that draw resemblances between two things. However, the devil’s in the details. Unlike metaphors, similes use like and as to directly create the comparison. “Life is like a box of chocolates,” for instance, is a simile. But if you say, “Life is a highway,” you’re putting a metaphor in motion.

The best way to understand how a metaphor can be used is to see it in practice — luckily, we’ve got a bucket-load of metaphor examples handy for you to peruse.

The Ultimate List of 90+ Metaphor Examples

Metaphors penetrate the entire spectrum of our existence — so we turned to many mediums to dig them up, from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to the Backstreet Boys’ ancient discography. Feel free to skip to your section of interest below for metaphor examples.

Literature Poetry Daily Expressions Songs Films Famous Quotations

Metaphors in literature are drops of water: as essential as they are ubiquitous. Writers use literary metaphors to evoke an emotional response or paint a vivid picture. Other times, a metaphor might explain a phenomenon. Given the amount of nuance that goes into it, a metaphor example in a text can sometimes deserve as much interpretation as the text itself.

Metaphors can make prose more muscular or imagery more vivid:

1. “Exhaustion is a thin blanket tattered with bullet holes.” ― If Then , Matthew De Abaitua

2. “But it is just two lovers, holding hands and in a hurry to reach their car, their locked hands a starfish leaping through the dark.” ― Rabbit, Run , John Updike

3. “The sun in the west was a drop of burning gold that slid near and nearer the sill of the world.” — Lord of the Flies , William Golding

4. “Bobby Holloway says my imagination is a three-hundred-ring circus. Currently I was in ring two hundred and ninety-nine, with elephants dancing and clowns cart wheeling and tigers leaping through rings of fire. The time had come to step back, leave the main tent, go buy some popcorn and a Coke, bliss out, cool down.” — Seize the Night ,   Dean Koontz

Writers frequently turn to metaphors to describe people in unexpected ways:

5. “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!” — Romeo & Juliet , William Shakespeare

6. “Who had they been, all these mothers and sisters and wives? What were they now? Moons, blank and faceless, gleaming with borrowed light, each spinning loyally around a bigger sphere.  ‘Invisible,’ said Faith under her breath. Women and girls were so often unseen, forgotten, afterthoughts. Faith herself had used it to good effect, hiding in plain sight and living a double life. But she had been blinded by exactly the same invisibility-of-the-mind, and was only just realizing it.” ― The Lie Tree , Frances Hardinge

7. “’I am a shark, Cassie,’ he says slowly, drawing the words out, as if he might be speaking to me for the last time. Looking into my eyes with tears in his, as if he's seeing me for the last time. "A shark who dreamed he was a man.’” ― The Last Star , Rick Yancey

8. “Her mouth was a fountain of delight.” — The Storm , Kate Chopin

9. “The parents looked upon Matilda in particular as nothing more than a scab. A scab is something you have to put up with until the time comes when you can pick it off and flick it away.” — Matilda , Roald Dahl

10. “Mr. Neck storms into class, a bull chasing thirty-three red flags." — Speak , Laurie Anderson

11. “’Well, you keep away from her, cause she’s a rattrap if I ever seen one.’” — Of Mice and Men , John Steinbeck

Which famous author do you write like?

Find out which literary luminary is your stylistic soulmate. Takes one minute!

Metaphors can help “visualize” a situation or put an event in context:

12. “But now, O Lord, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.” —Isaiah 64:8

13. “He could hear Beatty's voice. ‘Sit down, Montag. Watch. Delicately, like the petals of a flower. Light the first page, light the second page. Each becomes a black butterfly. Beautiful, eh? Light the third page from the second and so on, chainsmoking, chapter by chapter, all the silly things the words mean, all the false promises, all the second-hand notions and time-worn philosophies.’” — Fahrenheit 451 , Ray Bradbury

To entertain and tickle the brain, metaphor examples sometimes compare two extremely unlike things:

14. “Delia was an overbearing cake with condescending frosting, and frankly, I was on a diet.” ― Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception , Maggie Stiefvater

15. "The sun was a toddler insistently refusing to go to bed: It was past eight thirty and still light.” — Fault in Our Stars , John Green

16. “If wits were pins, the man would be a veritable hedgehog.” ― Fly by Night , Frances Hardinge

17. “What's this?" he inquired, none too pleasantly. "A circus?" "No, Julius. It's the end of the circus." "I see. And these are the clowns?" Foaly's head poked through the doorway. "Pardon me for interrupting your extended circus metaphor, but what the hell is that?” ― Artemis Fowl , Eoin Colfer

18. “Using a metaphor in front of a man as unimaginative as Ridcully was the same as putting a red flag to a bu — the same as putting something very annoying in front of someone who was annoyed by it.” ― Lords and Ladies , Terry Pratchett

Metaphors can help frame abstract concepts in ways that readers can easily grasp:

19. “My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.” — Fault In Our Stars , John Green

20. “If you can look into the seeds of time, and say which grain will grow and which will not, speak then to me.” — Macbeth , William Shakespeare

21. “Memories are bullets. Some whiz by and only spook you. Others tear you open and leave you in pieces.” ― Kill the Dead , Richard Kadrey

22. “Wishes are thorns, he told himself sharply. They do us no good, just stick into our skin and hurt us.” ― A Face Like Glass , Frances Hardinge

23. “’Life' wrote a friend of mine, 'is a public performance on the violin, in which you must learn the instrument as you go along.” ― A Room with a View , E.M. Forster

24. “There was an invisible necklace of nows, stretching out in front of her along the crazy, twisting road, each bead a golden second.” ― Cuckoo Song , Frances Hardinge

25. “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” — As You Like It , William Shakespeare

Particularly prominent in the realm of poetry is the extended metaphor: a single metaphor that extends throughout all or part of a piece of work . Also known as a conceit , it is used by poets to develop an idea or concept in great detail over the length of a poem. (And we have some metaphor examples for you below.)

If you’d like to get a sense of the indispensable role that metaphors play in poetry, look no further than what Robert Frost once said: “They are having night schools now, you know, for college graduates. Why? Because they don’t know when they are being fooled by a metaphor. Education by poetry is education by metaphor.”

Poets use metaphors directly in the text to explain emotions and opinions:

26. She must make him happy. She must be his favorite place in Minneapolis. You are a souvenir shop, where he goes to remember how much people miss him when he is gone. —“ Unrequited Love Poem ,” Sierra DeMulder

27. She is all states, and all princes, I. Nothing else is. Princes do but play us; compared to this, All honour's mimic, all wealth alchemy. —“ The Sun Rising ,” John Donne

28. I watched a girl in a sundress kiss another girl on a park bench, and just as the sunlight spilled perfectly onto both of their hair, I thought to myself: How bravely beautiful it is, that sometimes, the sea wants the city, even when it has been told its entire life it was meant for the shore. —“I Watched A Girl In A Sundress,” Christopher Poindexter

Extended metaphors in particular explore and advance major themes in poems:

29. All our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind. Thinking is always the stumbling stone to poetry. A great singer is he who sings our silences. How can you sing if your mouth be filled with food? How shall your hand be raised in blessing if it is filled with gold? They say the nightingale pierces his bosom with a thorn when he sings his love song. —“ Sand and Foam ,” Khalil Gibran

30. But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage / Can seldom see through his bars of rage / His wings are clipped and his feet are tied So he opens his throat to sing. —“ Caged Bird ,” Maya Angelou

31. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by / And that has made all the difference. —“ The Road Not Taken ,” Robert Frost

32. Marriage is not a house or even a tent it is before that, and colder: the edge of the forest, the edge of the desert the edge of the receding glacier where painfully and with wonder at having survived even this far we are learning to make fire —“ Habitation ,” Margaret Atwood

33. These poems do not live: it's a sad diagnosis. They grew their toes and fingers well enough, Their little foreheads bulged with concentration. If they missed out on walking about like people It wasn't for any lack of mother-love. —“ Stillborn ,” Sylvia Plath

34. Hope is the thing with feathers / That perches in the soul / And sings the tune without the words / And never stops at all. —“ Hope Is The Thing With Feathers ,” Emily Dickinson

Daily Expressions

Here’s some food for thought (35): you’ve probably already used a metaphor (or more) in your daily speech today without even realizing it. Metaphorical expressions pepper the English language by helping us illustrate and pinpoint exactly what we want to say. As a result, metaphors are everywhere in our common vocabulary: you may even be drowning in a sea (36) of them as we speak. But let’s cut to our list of metaphor examples before we jump the shark (37).

38. Love is a battlefield.

39. You’ve given me something to chew on.

40. He’s just blowing off steam.

41. That is music to my ears.

42. Love is a fine wine.

43. She’s a thorn in my side.

44. You are the light in my life.

45. He has the heart of a lion.

46. Am I talking to a brick wall?

47. He has ants in his pants.

48. Beauty is a fading flower.

49. She has a heart of stone.

50. Fear is a beast that feeds on attention.

51. Life is a journey.

52. He’s a late bloomer.

53. He is a lame duck now.

Which writing app is right for you?

Find out here! Takes 30 seconds

Metaphors are a must-have tool in every lyricist’s toolkit. From Elvis to Beyonce, songwriters use them to instinctively connect listeners to imagery and paint a visual for them. Most of the time, they find new ways to describe people, love — and, of course, break-ups. So if you’re thinking, “This is so sad Alexa play Titanium,” right now, you’re in the right place: here’s a look at some metaphor examples in songs.

54. You ain't nothin' but a hound dog / Cryin' all the time —“Hound Dog,” Elvis Presley

55. You're a fallen star / You're the getaway car / You're the line in the sand / When I go too far / You're the swimming pool / On an August day / And you're the perfect thing to say — “Everything,” Michael Buble

56. 'Cause baby you're a firework / Come on show 'em what your worth / Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!" / As you shoot across the sky-y-y — “Firework,” Katy Perry

57. I'm bulletproof nothing to lose / Fire away, fire away / Ricochet, you take your aim / Fire away, fire away / You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium —“Titanium,” David Guetta

58. Life is a highway / I wanna ride it all night long / If you're going my way / I wanna drive it all night long —“Life Is A Highway,” Rascal Flatts

59. She's a Saturn with a sunroof / With her brown hair a-blowing / She's a soft place to land / And a good feeling knowing / She's a warm conversation —“She’s Everything,” Brad Paisley

60. I'm a marquise diamond / Could even make that Tiffany jealous / You say I give it to you hard / So bad, so bad / Make you never wanna leave / I won't, I won't —“Good For You,’ Selena Gomez

61. Remember those walls I built / Well, baby, they're tumbling down / And they didn't even put up a fight / They didn't even make a sound —“Halo,” Beyonce

62. Did I ever tell you you're my hero? / You're everything, everything I wish I could be / Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle / For you are the wind beneath my wings / 'Cause you are the wind beneath my wings —“Wind Beneath My Wings,” Bette Midler

63. You are my fire / The one desire / Believe when I say I want it that way —“I Want It That Way,” Backstreet Boys

64. Your body is a wonderland / Your body is a wonder (I'll use my hands) / Your body is a wonderland —“Your Body Is A Wonderland,” John Mayer

65. I'm walking on sunshine (Wow!) / I'm walking on sunshine (Wow!) / I'm walking on sunshine (Wow!) / And don't it feel good —“I’m Walking On Sunshine,” Katrina and the Waves

66. If you wanna be with me / Baby there's a price to pay / I'm a genie in a bottle / You gotta rub me the right way —“Genie in a Bottle,” Christina Aguilera

67. If God is a DJ, life is a dance floor / Love is the rhythm, you are the music / If God is a DJ, life is a dance floor / You get what you're given it's all how you use it —“God Is A DJ,” P!nk

68. If this town / Is just an apple / Then let me take a bite —“Human Nature,” Michael Jackson

69. I just wanna be part of your symphony / Will you hold me tight and not let go? —“Symphony,” Clean Bandit

70. My heart's a stereo / It beats for you, so listen close / Hear my thoughts in every note —“Stereo Hearts,” Gym Class Heroes

71. I'm the sunshine in your hair / I'm the shadow on the ground / I'm the whisper in the wind / I'm your imaginary friend —“I’m Already There,” Lonestar

Films can add a different angle to the concept of a metaphor: because it’s a visual medium, certain objects on-screen will actually represent whatever the filmmaker intends it to represent. The same principle applies, of course — there’s still a direct comparison being made. It’s just that we can see the metaphor examples with our own eyes now.

Films can visually make clear comparisons between two elements on the screen:

72. “What beautiful blossoms we have this year. But look, this one’s late. I’ll bet that when it blooms it will be the most beautiful of all.” —from  Mulan

73. “Love is an open door Can I say something crazy? Will you marry me? Can I say something even crazier? Yes!” —from  Frozen

Metaphors are used in dialogue for characters to express themselves:

74. “You're television incarnate, Diana. Indifferent to suffering, insensitive to joy.” — Network

75. “Life's a climb. But the view is great.” — Hannah Montana: the Movie

Famous Quotations

Did you know that Plato was using metaphors to express his thoughts all the way back in 427 BC? Since then, some of our greatest minds have continued to turn to metaphors when illuminating ideas in front of the general public — a practice that’s become particularly prominent in political speeches and pithy witticisms. Here’s a sample of some of the ways that famous quotes have incorporated metaphor examples in the past.

76. “All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.” —Albert Einstein

77. “A good conscience is a continual Christmas.” —Benjamin Franklin

78. “America has tossed its cap over the wall of space.” —John F. Kennedy

79. “I don't approve of political jokes; I have seen too many of them get elected.” —Jon Stewart

80. “Conscience is a man’s compass.” —Vincent Van Gogh

81. “In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” —Albert Camus

82. “Time is the moving image of eternity.” ―Plato

83. “Every human is a school subject. This is rather a metaphorical way of saying it, to put it straight, those you love are few, and the ones you detest are many.” ―Michael Bassey Johnson

84. “Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.” —Will Rogers

85. “Life is little more than a loan shark: it exacts a very high rate of interest for the few pleasures it concedes.” —Luigi Pirandello

86. “America: in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words.  With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come.” —Barack Obama

87. “Bolshevism is a ghoul descending from a pile of skulls. It is not a policy; it is a disease. It is not a creed; it is a pestilence.” —Winston Churchill

88. “Books are mirrors of the soul.” —Virginia Woolf

89. “My life has a superb cast, but I can't figure out the plot.” —Ashleigh Brilliant

90. “I feel like we’re all in a super shitty Escape Room with really obvious clues like, ‘vote’ and ‘believe women’ and ‘don’t put children in cages.’” — Natasha Rothwell

91. “I travel the world, and I'm happy to say that America is still the great melting pot — maybe a chunky stew rather than a melting pot at this point, but you know what I mean.” —Philip Glass

92. “Life is a long road on a short journey.” —James Lendall Basford

93. “What therefore is truth? A mobile army of metaphors, metonymies, anthropomorphisms: in short a sum of human relations which become poetically and rhetorically intensified, metamorphosed, adorned, and after long usage seem to a nation fixed, canonic and binding.” —Nietzsche

94. “Life is a foreign language: all men mispronounce it.” —Christopher Morley

95. “Dying is a wild night and a new road.” —Emily Dickinson

96. “And your very flesh shall be a great poem.” —Walt Whitman

And as a bonus gift, here’s one last metaphor for the road, from one of our brightest philosophers. We’ll let Calvin have the last word:

Did we miss any of your favorite metaphors? Have more metaphor examples for us? Leave them in the (non-metaphorical) box below and we'll add them right in.

6 responses

James Hubbs says:

21/10/2018 – 23:44

Very useful article. Thank you. However, Fahrenheit 451 was written by Ray Bradbury, not George Orwell.

↪️ Reedsy replied:

22/10/2018 – 00:42

Great spot, James! That's now been fixed. Glad that the article was useful :)

Jonboy says:

21/05/2019 – 19:11

That Sylvia Plath quote nailed me. Ouch! Haven't read it but have to now...

21/06/2019 – 17:02

Another metaphor I love is “I’m just like them— an ordinary drone dressed in secrets and lies.” It’s from Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

DAVID COWART says:

18/11/2019 – 01:59

life is a highway is Tom Cochrane, not Rascal Flats

↪️ Martin Cavannagh replied:

22/11/2019 – 12:54

Rascal Flatts did a cover of the song. We were deciding between the two and decided that "Rascal Flatts" sounded funnier :D

Comments are currently closed.

Continue reading

Recommended posts from the Reedsy Blog

Man vs Nature: The Most Compelling Conflict in Writing

What is man vs nature? Learn all about this timeless conflict with examples of man vs nature in books, television, and film.

The Redemption Arc: Definition, Examples, and Writing Tips

Learn what it takes to redeem a character with these examples and writing tips.

How Many Sentences Are in a Paragraph?

From fiction to nonfiction works, the length of a paragraph varies depending on its purpose. Here's everything you need to know.

Narrative Structure: Definition, Examples, and Writing Tips

What's the difference between story structure and narrative structure? And how do you choose the right narrative structure for you novel?

What is the Proust Questionnaire? 22 Questions to Write Better Characters

Inspired by Marcel Proust, check out the questionnaire that will help your characters remember things past.

What is Pathos? Definition and Examples in Literature

Pathos is a literary device that uses language to evoke an emotional response, typically to connect readers with the characters in a story.

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.

Bring your stories to life

Use our free writing app to finally write — and publish — that book!

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Enter your email or get started with a social account:

• Readers Read
• Screenwriting
• Songwriting
• Writing Contests

Metaphors and similes are both used for comparison. Metaphors do a direct comparison by saying one thing is another thing. They often contain "is" and "was." Similes also do a comparison but they use "like" or "as." "Her skin is as cold as ice" is a simile while "She's an ice queen" is a metaphor. Metaphors and similes are both figures of speech found in prose, poetry and song.

Similes and metaphors need to strike a chord with the reader and make sense on some level. Stephen King says in On Writing , "When a simile or metaphor doesn't work, the result are sometimes funny and sometimes embarrassing."

Karlie Kloss to Relaunch Life Magazine at Bedford Media

NBF Expands National Book Awards Eligibility Criteria

Striking Writers and Actors March Together on Hollywood Streets

Vice Media Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Oprah Selects The Covenant of Water as 101st Book Club Pick

• Self-publishing
• Technical Writing
• Writing Prompts

‘Metaphor’ vs. ‘Simile’

What to Know A simile is a figure of speech that compares two otherwise dissimilar things, often introduced by the words like or as (‘you are like a summer’s day’). A metaphor is when a word is used in place of another to suggest a likeness (‘you are a summer’s day’).

This pup is a master of both simile and metaphor

Many people learn the words simile and metaphor as part of a poetry class in school, but these figures of speech aren’t solely found in poetry. People use metaphors and similes daily in all types of communication for a variety of purposes, often without even realizing it. If you’re having trouble navigating the neighborhood (metaphor!) between metaphors and similes, here’s how to tell them apart like a boss (simile!).

Using Similes

How’s the weather in your neck of the woods? If it’s partly cloudy, you might tell a friend that a certain puffy cloud looks like an elephant (or a car, or a turtle—you do you). If a storm is approaching, maybe the thunder sounds like a drum set, thrown down a flight of stairs. If the storm is already overhead, it might be as loud as waves crashing on the shore. Each of these expressions is an example of a simile, “a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as.”

Poets, lyricists, and other writers often use similes wonderfully and creatively. In her poem “Surety,” Jane Huffman uses simile to compare the titular feeling to a number of concepts using the adverb as : “I’m sure as sweat / that follows heat,” “I’m sure as blood / that follows / meat.” And who can forget Nelly Furtado’s simile-bearing earworm “I’m Like a Bird”? Not us, certainly, and since 2000. But conversational speech is peppered with similes, too, and that makes us as happy as clams at high tide.

More examples of similes:

—Hungry like a wolf —Cute as a button —Tough as leather —Work like a dream —Drawn like a moth to a flame  

Using Metaphors

Continuing with weather, is it raining cats and dogs where you live? Or is the rain coming down in buckets? Probably neither of those, at least literally. But if you’re speaking metaphorically, and we bet you are, then we hope your garden is at least getting a much-needed drink.

RELATED: Your Body is a Metaphor

A metaphor is similar to a simile in that it is a figure of speech used “to suggest a likeness or analogy between” two things, but without the prepositions “like” or “as.” In other words, a metaphor is a more direct comparison “in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another.” When we use metaphor, we make a leap beyond rational, ho-hum comparison to an identification or fusion of two objects, resulting in a new entity that has characteristics of both: the voice isn't just like silk, it is silk.

More examples of metaphors:

—Life is a highway —Blanket of snow —Heart of gold —All the world’s a stage —Hope is the thing with feathers

Using a Simile vs. Using a Metaphor: Not Just Splitting Hairs

Using a metaphor can give a bit more oomph to a sentence, statement, or verse than using a simile. But that might not always be the right path to take. In The Poet’s Dictionary: A Handbook of Prosody and Poetic Devices , the late William Packard deftly explained the relative charms of metaphors and similes: “If Martin Luther had said, ‘Our God is like a mighty fortress,” his statement would not have carried the full force of the metaphorical ‘Our God is a mighty fortress.’ Conversely, if Robert Burns had said, ‘My love is a red, red rose,” he would have lost some of the delicate subtlety of the simile statement, ‘My love’s like a red, red rose.’”

MORE TO EXPLORE: 31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

Word of the Day

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Games & Quizzes

Commonly Confused

'canceled' or 'cancelled', is it 'home in' or 'hone in', the difference between 'race' and 'ethnicity', homophones, homographs, and homonyms, on 'biweekly' and 'bimonthly', grammar & usage, primary and caucus: what is the difference, words commonly mispronounced, merriam-webster’s great big list of words you love to hate, more commonly misspelled words, commonly misspelled words, 12 words for signs of spring, 12 more bird names that sound like insults (and sometimes are), 13 unusually long english words, the words of the week - apr. 26, 9 superb owl words.

25 Metaphors for Essays

Metaphors are a powerful tool in writing and can add depth and richness to your essay.  

A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things, using “like” or “as” to make the comparison. 

By using metaphors in your writing, you can paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind and help them better understand and relate to your ideas. 

In this blog post, we will explore some common metaphors for essays and the different ways they can be used to enhance your writing. 

Whether you are just starting out with essay writing or are an experienced writer looking for new ways to engage your readers, this post will provide you with some helpful tips and ideas for using metaphors effectively. 

So, let’s dive in and explore the world of metaphors for essays!

Metaphors for Essays

• “The world is a stage.” This metaphor suggests that life is a performance and we are all actors on the stage of the world.
• “Time is money.” This metaphor equates the value of time with the value of money, implying that time is a valuable resource that should not be wasted.
• “He is a snake in the grass.” This metaphor describes someone who is sneaky and untrustworthy, likening them to a snake hiding in the grass.
• “She has a heart of gold.” This metaphor describes someone who is kind and generous, likening their heart to the precious metal gold.
• “He is a bear in the market.” This metaphor describes someone who is aggressive and successful in business, likening them to a bear in the stock market.
• “She is a ray of sunshine.” This metaphor describes someone who brings joy and light to a situation, likening them to a ray of sunshine.
• “He is a lion in the courtroom.” This metaphor describes someone who is confident and fierce in a legal setting, likening them to a lion.
• “She is a diamond in the rough.” This metaphor describes someone who has untapped potential or hidden qualities, likening them to a diamond that has yet to be polished.
• “He is a butterfly in the wind.” This metaphor describes someone who is unpredictable or fleeting, likening them to a butterfly being blown by the wind.
• “She is a rose among thorns.” This metaphor describes someone who stands out or is exceptional in a negative or difficult situation, likening them to a rose among thorns.
• “He is a fish out of water.” This metaphor describes someone who is uncomfortable or out of place in a particular situation, likening them to a fish out of water.
• “She is a bird in a gilded cage.” This metaphor describes someone who is trapped or unable to fully experience life, likening them to a bird in a gilded cage.
• “He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” This metaphor describes someone who appears kind or harmless, but is actually dangerous or deceitful, likening them to a wolf disguised as a harmless sheep.
• “She is a butterfly emerging from a cocoon.” This metaphor describes someone who is going through a transformation or transition, likening them to a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.
• “He is a snake oil salesman.” This metaphor describes someone who is dishonest or fraudulent in their sales tactics, likening them to a 19th century salesman who sold fake cures in the form of snake oil.
• “She is a feather in the wind.” This metaphor describes someone who is easily swayed or influenced, likening them to a feather being blown by the wind.
• “He is a monkey on his back.” This metaphor describes someone who is struggling with an addiction or problem that they cannot shake, likening it to a monkey clinging to their back.
• “He is a tiger in the jungle.” This metaphor describes someone who is strong and fierce in a particular environment, likening them to a tiger in the jungle.
• “She is a flower in bloom.” This metaphor describes someone who is flourishing or thriving, likening them to a flower in bloom.
• “He is a dragon hoarding treasure.” This metaphor describes someone who is greedy or possessive, likening them to a dragon hoarding treasure.

In conclusion, metaphors are a valuable and effective tool for writers looking to add depth and clarity to their essays. 

By comparing two unlike things and using “like” or “as” to make the comparison, metaphors can help readers better understand and relate to your ideas. 

Whether you are just starting out with essay writing or are an experienced writer looking for new ways to engage your readers, incorporating metaphors into your writing can be a powerful technique.

We hope that this blog post has provided you with some helpful tips and ideas for using metaphors effectively in your own essays. 

Remember to always consider your audience and the purpose of your writing when choosing and using metaphors, and don’t be afraid to get creative and try out different approaches. 

With a little practice and experimentation, you can master the art of using metaphors to add depth and impact to your writing.

Related Posts

25 metaphors for poetry, 25 metaphors for kids.

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer

A List of Similes and Metaphors to Enrich Your Literary Skills

Figures of speech can render a piece of art with so much more appeal than a plain text, don't you think? Similes and metaphors are simple to understand, and they make for some very interesting pieces of art. In fact, they are some of the simplest forms of literary techniques and can be easily identified in a text.

Figures of speech can render a piece of art with so much more appeal than a plain text, don’t you think? Similes and metaphors are simple to understand, and they make for some very interesting pieces of art. In fact, they are some of the simplest forms of literary techniques and can be easily identified in a text.

Making the Distinction

Similes will use words like ‘as’, ‘like’, and ‘than’; whereas metaphors will use words like ‘was’, ‘is’ and ‘were’.

The work gains angles and dimensions, you start to look beyond the obvious and a superlative form of art begins to draw itself, to say the least. And while there are several such figures of speech that can be looked into, in this particular article, we will focus on two literary devices―Similes and Metaphors.

A list of similes and metaphors will help you identify the same and you will understand what it means to have these play in your text. In this following Penlighten article, we will provide you with a list of the same for easy reference and understanding. But before that, let us understand what similes and metaphors are.

What are Similes and Metaphors??

A simile is a literary technique that is used to compare two concepts. These concepts might be completely different in all aspects, but when they are being compared, there is that one distinct concept that draws a similarity between them. The comparison is usually carried through with words like As, Like and Than. A characteristic style of the usage of similes is that the two objects that are being compared remain different in all matters and the reader has no doubt about the same.

Example of Simile

John’s words felt like shards of glass when he spoke such hateful things.

Explanation

In the example given above, in case of a simile, John’s words are compared to shards of glass, which means that just as the shards of glass would lead to immense hurt, similarly, his words are just as hurtful and cause for as much hurt.

Metaphors and similes have a common theme running, whereby they compare two very different concepts, or concepts that are not connected in either way to each other. The difference is that metaphors do not keep the concepts at differing levels but merge them into one and thereby draw similarities―considering, in fact, that they are one.

Example of Metaphor

John’s words were shards of glass when he spoke such hateful things.

In case of this example, the hurt caused by John’s words is not ‘compared’ to shards of glass, but takes on the exact quality of glass and causes for the hurt in that way.

List of Metaphors and Similes for Kids

List of common similes.

~ As quiet as a mouse ~ As quick as a flash ~ As white as a sheet ~ As brown as a berry ~ As red as a beetroot ~ As black as night ~ As sick as a dog ~ To sleep like a log ~ As sick as a parrot ~ As blind as a bat ~ As alike as two peas in a pod

~ As big as an elephant ~ As black as coal ~ As bright as a button ~ As brave as a lion ~ As bold as brass ~ As busy as a bee ~ As clean as a whistle ~ As clear as crystal ~ As clear as a bell ~ As cold as ice ~ As common as dirt ~ As blue as the deepest ocean ~ As stubborn as a mule ~ As soft as silk

~ As cool as a cucumber ~ As cunning as a fox ~ As dead as the dodo ~ As deaf as a post ~ As dead as a doornail ~ As different as chalk from cheese ~ As dry as a bone ~ As drunk as a lord ~ As dull as dishwater ~ As dry as dust ~ As easy as A.B.C.

~ As flat as a pancake ~ As easy as apple-pie ~ As fresh as a daisy ~ As free as a bird ~ As gentle as a lamb ~ As hot as hell ~ As hungry as a wolf ~ As light as a feather ~ As innocent as a lamb ~ As mad as a hatter ~ As pale as death

~ As obstinate as a mule ~ As mad as a hornet ~ As old as the hills ~ As proud as a peacock ~ As poor as a church mouse ~ As quick as a wink ~ As plain as day ~ As sharp as a razor ~ As silent as the dead ~ As slippery as an eel ~ As slow as a snail

~ As smooth as silk ~ As sour as vinegar ~ As stiff as a board ~ As steady as a rock ~ As straight as an arrow ~ As strong as an ox ~ As stubborn as a mule ~ As sturdy as an oak ~ As thin as a rake ~ As timid as a rabbit ~ As sure as death and taxes

~ As tough as old boots ~ As wise as an owl ~ To drink like a fish ~ As white as snow ~ To have a memory like a sieve ~ To sleep like a log ~ To have eyes like a hawk ~ To work like a dream ~ As cute as a bug’s ear ~ As clear as mud ~ As fit as a fiddle

~ As playful as a kitten ~ As loose as a goose ~ As nutty as a fruitcake ~ As hard as nails ~ As hot as blue blazes ~ As silent as the grave ~ As smooth as glass ~ As thorny as a rose bush ~ As smooth as a baby’s bottom ~ As tight as a drum ~ As bright as the moon

List of Metaphors

~ A laugh in a sea of sadness ~ He has a voice of a crow ~ He has a voice of a wolf ~ He has the heart of a lion ~ He is the sun of my sky ~ He swam in the sea of diamonds ~ He tried to help but his legs were rubber

~ Her hair was bone white ~ Her lips were butterflies ~ Her positive attitude is a lighthouse for the hopeful ~ His belt was a snake curling around his waist ~ His plans were rock solid and so were his aims ~ Ideas are wings ~ It’s raining men

~ Life is a mere dream, a fleeting shadow on a cloudy day ~ Light of their life ~ Love is fire ~ She is a dog when she eats ~ Spiritual seeking is treasure hunting ~ Thoughts are a storm, unexpected ~ Truth is food for him

~ You are the light in my life ~ They were eaten up with hatred ~ Mistrust had poisoned their relationship ~ I’ve been caught between a rock and a hard place ~ The weeks crawled by until we could meet again ~ Anger bottled up inside her ~ His words were cotton candy

~ He was a lion on the battlefield ~ The computers at school are old dinosaurs ~ The ballerina was a swan, gliding across the stage ~ The stars are sparkling diamonds ~ My big brother is a couch potato ~ They had entered their autumn years ~ Her tears were a river flowing down her cheeks

When you study literature and other works of art in more detail, you’ll find that the author or writer uses these figures of speech with more subtlety, or even grandeur. The levels of comparison also get more and more sophisticated, and that is where the beauty of the text lies. Similes and metaphors lend texts several layers of depth and make any work a pleasure to read.

Like it? Share it!

Get Updates Right to Your Inbox

Further insights.

Privacy Overview

What are metaphors and similes?

Part of English Language Year 3 Year 4

Watch: Metaphors and similes

This video can not be played

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

What is a metaphor.

More on Language

Find out more by working through a topic

What is onomatopoeia?

• count 4 of 9

What is personification?

• count 5 of 9

What are synonyms and antonyms?

• count 6 of 9

Dealing with unfamiliar words

• count 7 of 9

The Joy of Teaching

Sharing creative ideas and lessons to help children learn.

How to Teach Figurative Language: Similes and Metaphors for Grades 3–6

October 15, 2018 by Evan-Moor | 2 Comments

Teaching similes and metaphors is the first step in moving your students beyond literal meaning and teaching them to mature as writers. Students need to see and hear figurative language many times before they will use it in their own writing. Transferring these skills into writing is a long process, and your students will need frequent exposure to concepts such as similes for happiness throughout the school year to learn to identify and label this type of writing.

Here are a few tips and resources to help you build a simile and metaphor unit for your ELA lessons. These resources are intended for ELA lessons for grades 3–6, but adaptable for younger students.

Step 1: Identify and Define the Terms: Create Anchor Charts

Begin your lessons on metaphors and similes for kids and students of any age by defining figurative language, similes, and metaphors.

• Figurative language describes something in a creative way.
• Similes and metaphors are a type of figurative language.
• Writers use similes and metaphors to compare things and create more interesting images for readers.

Have you considered using a figurative language anchor chart? I love using anchor charts in my classroom to convey a skill or concept that students can reference. Create an anchor chart that demonstrates the difference between similes and metaphors. Limit the text and images on your chart so that you only focus on defining the terms and demonstrating the differences. Choose images that convey very clear meaning, especially if you teach language learners.

A simile compares two things using like or as. For example: The waves were as big as dinosaurs.

Click on this chart to download.

A metaphor compares two things by saying they are the same thing. For example: The waves were dinosaurs, pounding the shore.

Metaphors are more difficult to teach than similes. they often use fewer words and do not have the signals of “like” or “as.” .

Step 2: Model Similes and Metaphors in Literature

When introducing a new topic, include a few stand-alone examples from well-known authors. Demonstrate to students that their favorite authors use similes and metaphors in their writing to convey vivid imagery. After reading each passage, ask your students what the words are comparing and what they mean. Poems are also a great way to introduce examples of similes and metaphors.

For example:

In the Caldecott-winning book Song and Dance Man , Karen Ackerman describes Grandpa’s dancing and singing:

“His feet moved slowly at first, while his tap shoes make soft, slippery sounds like rain on a tin roof…(He) does a new step that sounds like a woodpecker tapping on a tree. Suddenly, his shoes move faster, and he begins to sing. His voice is as round and strong as a canyon echo…” (Simile)

The words are comparing his shoes tapping to rain on a tin roof and a woodpecker tapping a tree.

Patricia Polacco uses them in I Can Hear the Sun just as the geese return to Lake Merritt:

“Then they hear a sound in the darkness. At first, it was a soft distant symphony of rushing wind, but it builds like summer thunder, low, deep, and grand.” (Metaphor)

The author is comparing the wind to a symphony and a storm.

Step 3: Practice Identifying Smiles and Metaphors

Simile and Metaphor Practice Worksheets : When beginning, choose practice pages that focus on one concept rather than both. This teaching strategy can help students concentrate on and absorb a single concept thoroughly before moving on. Listed below are examples of practice activities from Language Fundamentals grade 4.  Click here for your free simile practice page and metaphor practice page (from Language Fundamentals , grade 4).

Step 4: Apply Similes and Metaphors in Writing

Once your students have practiced identifying similes and metaphors, your lessons can progress into writing them. Model the creative process of writing a simile or metaphor for your class and practice writing them together. Here is an example of how to help students make the jump from identifying similes and metaphors into writing them.

Before asking students to write their own similes and metaphors, it is helpful to prepare them with a prewriting guide to help them brainstorm a topics and ideas.

Prewriting Guide

• Think of the first time you did something. Plan a description of that event. Answer the questions to help you. ex: The first time I went snow skiing. Write a simile that describes how you feel before the event. ex: nervous, excited
• Write a simile that describes how you felt. ex: I felt like a kid on her birthday, wondering what’s inside the biggest present.
• How did you feel during the event? ex: a little scared, uncoordinated
• Write a metaphor that describes how you felt. ex: I was a baby learning how to walk, falling for no reason.
• What verbs could describe the event or how you felt? ex: zoom, crash, fall
• What adjectives could you use to describe the event? ex: cold, dangerous, thrilling
• Write an example of personification that describes the event or how you felt. One leg wanted to go right, but the other insisted on going left. Remind students to check for subject-verb agreement.

Writing Prompt:

Write a description of the first time you did something exciting or scary. Include similes and metaphors. Use your prewriting guide for inspiration.

Additional ELA resources for similes and metaphors:

For additional practice with identifying similes and metaphors, check out:

You can also find individual simile and metaphor units on TeachersPayTeachers:

Daily 6-Trait Writing Bundle Weeks 1-5  grade 5 

Metaphor Poetry grades 3-6

Grade 5 Take It to Your Seat Reading and Language Centers : Similes and Metaphors on TeachersPayTeachers.

Grade 6  Take It to Your Seat Reading and Language Centers : Similes and Metaphors on TeachersPayTeachers

Note: Daily 6-Trait Writing is a great resource for students’ writing. This weekly unit on similes and metaphors gives your students practice transferring their understanding of similes and metaphors into their own writing. The lessons slowly progress students into writing their own similes and metaphors.

For more fun tips and lesson ideas, subscribe to our Evan-Moor Education E-Newsletter .

Lesson ideas were taken from Evan-Moor’s Writing Fabulous Sentences and Paragraphs , Language Fundamentals , and Daily 6-Trait Writing .

Leave a reply →

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Subscribe Today!

Sign-up for education inspiration for PreK–8 teachers and parents.

Email address:

Grade Level Pre-K Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade +

Profession Teacher Homeschooler Parent School Admin Other

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive emails from Evan-Moor. You can unsubscribe at any time by using the Unsubscribe link found at the bottom of every email.

• Chess (Gr. 1-4)
• TV (Gr. 1-4)
• Metal Detectors (Gr. 2-6)
• Tetris (Gr. 2-6)
• Seat Belts (Gr. 2-6)
• The Coliseum (Gr. 2-6)
• The Pony Express (Gr. 2-6)
• Wintertime (Gr. 2-6)
• Reading (Gr. 3-7)
• Black Friday (Gr. 3-7)
• Hummingbirds (Gr. 3-7)
• Worst Game Ever? (Gr. 4-8)
• Carnivorous Plants (Gr. 4-8)
• Google (Gr. 4-8)
• Honey Badgers (Gr. 4-8)
• Hyperinflation (Gr. 4-8)
• Koko (Gr. 4-8)
• Mongooses (Gr. 5-9)
• Trampolines (Gr. 5-9)
• Garbage (Gr. 5-9)
• Maginot Line (Gr. 5-9)
• Asian Carp (Gr. 5-9)
• Tale of Two Countries (Gr. 6-10)
• Kevlar (Gr. 7-10)
• Tigers (Gr. 7-11)
• Statue of Liberty (Gr. 8-10)
• Submarines (Gr. 8-12)
• Castles (Gr. 9-13)
• Gutenberg (Gr. 9-13)
• Author's Purpose Practice 1
• Author's Purpose Practice 2
• Author's Purpose Practice 3
• Fact and Opinion Practice 1
• Fact and Opinion Practice 2
• Fact and Opinion Practice 3
• Idioms Practice Test 1
• Idioms Practice Test 2
• Figurative Language Practice 1
• Figurative Language Practice 2
• Figurative Language Practice 3
• Figurative Language Practice 4
• Figurative Language Practice 5
• Figurative Language Practice 6
• Figurative Language Practice 7
• Figurative Language Practice 8
• Figurative Language Practice 9
• Figurative Language of Edgar Allan Poe
• Figurative Language of O. Henry
• Figurative Language of Shakespeare
• Genre Practice 1
• Genre Practice 2
• Genre Practice 3
• Genre Practice 4
• Genre Practice 5
• Genre Practice 6
• Genre Practice 7
• Genre Practice 8
• Genre Practice 9
• Genre Practice 10
• Irony Practice 1
• Irony Practice 2
• Irony Practice 3
• Making Inferences Practice 1
• Making Inferences Practice 2
• Making Inferences Practice 3
• Making Inferences Practice 4
• Making Inferences Practice 5
• Main Idea Practice 1
• Main Idea Practice 2
• Point of View Practice 1
• Point of View Practice 2
• Text Structure Practice 1
• Text Structure Practice 2
• Text Structure Practice 3
• Text Structure Practice 4
• Text Structure Practice 5
• Story Structure Practice 1
• Story Structure Practice 2
• Story Structure Practice 3
• Author's Purpose
• Characterizations
• Context Clues
• Fact and Opinion
• Figurative Language
• Grammar and Language Arts
• Poetic Devices
• Point of View
• Predictions
• Reading Comprehension
• Story Structure
• Summarizing
• Text Structure
• Character Traits
• Common Core Aligned Unit Plans
• Teacher Point of View
• Teaching Theme
• Patterns of Organization
• Project Ideas
• Reading Activities
• How to Write Narrative Essays
• How to Write Persuasive Essays
• Narrative Essay Assignments
• Narrative Essay Topics
• Persuasive Essay Topics
• Research Paper Topics
• Rubrics for Writing Assignments
• Learn About Sentence Structure
• Grammar Worksheets
• Noun Worksheets
• Parts of Speech Worksheets
• Punctuation Worksheets
• Sentence Structure Worksheets
• Verbs and Gerunds
• Examples of Allitertion
• Examples of Hyperbole
• Examples of Onomatopoeia
• Examples of Metaphor
• Examples of Personification
• Examples of Simile
• Figurative Language Activities
• Figurative Language Examples
• Figurative Language Poems
• Figurative Language Worksheets
• Learn About Figurative Language
• Learn About Poetic Devices
• Idiom Worksheets
• Online Figurative Language Tests
• Onomatopoeia Worksheets
• Personification Worksheets
• Poetic Devices Activities
• Poetic Devices Worksheets
• About This Site
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• Understanding CCSS Standards
• What's New?

Ereading Worksheets

Free reading worksheets, activities, and lesson plans., site navigation.

• Learn About Author’s Purpose
• Author’s Purpose Quizzes
• Character Types Worksheets and Lessons
• List of Character Traits
• Differentiated Reading Instruction Worksheets and Activities
• Fact and Opinion Worksheets
• Irony Worksheets
• Animal Farm Worksheets
• Literary Conflicts Lesson and Review
• New Home Page Test
• Lord of the Flies Chapter 2 Worksheet
• Lord of the Flies Chapter 5 Worksheet
• Lord of the Flies Chapter 6 Worksheet
• Lord of the Flies Chapter 10 Worksheet
• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
• Sister Carrie
• The Count of Monte Cristo
• The Odyssey
• The War of the Worlds
• The Wizard of Oz
• Mood Worksheets
• Context Clues Worksheets
• Inferences Worksheets
• Main Idea Worksheets
• Making Predictions Worksheets
• Nonfiction Passages and Functional Texts
• Setting Worksheets
• Summarizing Worksheets and Activities
• Short Stories with Questions
• Story Structure Activities
• Story Structure Worksheets
• Tone Worksheets
• Types of Conflict Worksheets
• Reading Games
• Figurative Language Poems with Questions
• Hyperbole and Understatement Worksheets
• Simile and Metaphor Worksheets
• Simile Worksheets
• Hyperbole Examples
• Metaphor Examples
• Personification Examples
• Simile Examples
• Understatement Examples
• Idiom Worksheets and Tests
• Poetic Devices Worksheets & Activities
• Alliteration Examples
• Allusion Examples
• Onomatopoeia Examples
• Onomatopoeia Worksheets and Activities
• Genre Worksheets
• Genre Activities
• Capitalization Worksheets, Lessons, and Tests
• Contractions Worksheets and Activities
• Double Negative Worksheets
• Homophones & Word Choice Worksheets
• ‘Was’ or ‘Were’
• Simple Subjects & Predicates Worksheets
• Subjects, Predicates, and Objects
• Clauses and Phrases
• Type of Sentences Worksheets
• Sentence Structure Activities
• Comma Worksheets and Activities
• Semicolon Worksheets
• End Mark Worksheets
• Noun Worksheets, Lessons, and Tests
• Verb Worksheets and Activities
• Pronoun Worksheets, Lessons, and Tests
• Adverbs & Adjectives Worksheets, Lessons, & Tests
• Preposition Worksheets and Activities
• Conjunctions Worksheets and Activities
• Interjections Worksheets
• Parts of Speech Activities
• Verb Tense Activities
• Past Tense Worksheets
• Present Tense Worksheets
• Future Tense Worksheets
• Point of View Activities
• Point of View Worksheets
• Teaching Point of View
• Cause and Effect Example Paragraphs
• Chronological Order
• Compare and Contrast
• Order of Importance
• Problem and Solution
• Text Structure Worksheets
• Text Structure Activities
• Essay Writing Rubrics
• Narrative Essay Topics and Story Ideas
• Narrative Essay Worksheets & Writing Assignments
• Persuasive Essay and Speech Topics
• Persuasive Essay Worksheets & Activities
• Writing Narrative Essays and Short Stories
• Writing Persuasive Essays
• All Reading Worksheets
• Understanding Common Core State Standards
• Remote Learning Resources for Covid-19 School Closures
• What’s New?
• Ereading Worksheets | Legacy Versions
• Online Figurative Language Practice
• Online Genre Practice Tests
• Online Point of View Practice Tests
• 62 School Project Ideas
• 2nd Grade Reading Worksheets
• 3rd Grade Reading Worksheets
• 4th Grade Reading Worksheets
• 5th Grade Reading Worksheets
• 6th Grade Reading Worksheets
• 7th Grade Reading Worksheets
• 8th Grade Reading Worksheets
• 9th Grade Reading Worksheets
• 10th Grade Reading Worksheets
• Membership Billing
• Membership Cancel
• Membership Checkout
• Membership Confirmation
• Membership Invoice
• Membership Levels
• Your Profile

Want Updates?

Simile examples for intermediate readers.

• “Food?”  Chris inquired, popping out of his seat like a toaster strudel.
• Grandpa lounged on the raft in the middle of the pool like an old battleship.
• If seen from above the factory, the workers would have looked like clock parts.
• The truth was like a bad taste on his tongue.
• The people who still lived in the town were stuck in place like wax statues.
• Cassie talked to her son about girls as though she were giving him tax advice.
• Alan’s jokes were like flat soda to the children, surprisingly unpleasant.
• My mother’s kitchen was like a holy place: you couldn’t wear your shoes, you had to sit there at a certain time, and occasionally we’d pray.
• The bottle rolled off the table like a teardrop.
• The handshake felt like warm laundry.
• She hung her head like a dying flower.
• Arguing with her was like dueling with hand grenades.
• The classroom was as quiet as a tongue-tied librarian in a hybrid car.
• Janie’s boyfriend appreciated her as an ape might appreciate an algebra book.
• The clouds were like ice-cream castles in the sky.
• The shingles on the shack shook in the storm winds like scared children.
• When he reached the top of the hill, he felt as strong as a steel gate.
• When the tree branch broke, Millie fell from the limb like a robin’s egg.
• She swam through the waters like she was falling through a warm dream.
• They children ran like ripples through water.
• Mikhail scattered his pocket change in front of the beggars like crumbs of bread.
• Her hair was as soft as a spider web.
• Each dollar bill was a like a magic wand to cast away problems.
• The man held the blanket like a memory.
• The ice sculptor’s hands fluttered like hummingbird wings.
• I’m about as awesome as a flying giraffe.
• You are soft as the nesting dove.
• Andre charged down the football field like it was the War of 1812.
• The stars looked like stupid little fish.
• Her laughter was like a warm blanket or a familiar song.
• The river flows like a stream of glass
• Blood seeped out of the wound like red teardrops.
• Paul carried his science project to school like he was transporting explosive glass.
• She looked at me like I was speaking in some strange alien tongue.
• The town square was buzzing like a beehive.
• Kelsey followed her dreams like most kids would follow a big sister.
• Kyle looked at the test with a stare as blank as his notebook.
• The robins are as thick today as flakes of snow were yesterday,
• Her eyes are like the eyes of statues.
• The gray moss drapes us like sages.
• The music burst like a bent-up flood.
• The curtains stir as with an ancient pain.
• But now her hands like moonlight brush the keys with velvet grace.
• I flitted like a dizzy moth.
• The flowers were as soft as thoughts of budding love.
• The gray of the sea, and the gray of the sky, / A glimpse of the moon like a half-closed eye.
• Yes, the doors are locked and the ashes are white as the frost.
• A mist about your beauty clings like a thin cloud before a star.
• She went like snow in the springtime on a sunny hill.
• Then I knew those tiny voices, clear as drops of dew.

Simile Examples for Advanced Readers

• I dream of silent verses where the rhyme glides noiseless as an oar.
• Though they knew it not, their baby’s cries were lovely as jeweled butterflies.
• He kissed her as though he were trying to win a sword fight.
• The paparazzi circled like vultures above a tottering camel.
• She was as distant as a remote tropical island, uncivilized, unspoiled.
• Our hearts, though stout and brave, still, like muffled drums, are beating funeral marches to the grave.
• He had hidden his wealth, heaped and hoarded and piled on high like sacks of wheat in a granary.
• Pieces of silver and of gold / Into the tinkling strong-box fell / Like pebbles dropped into a well;
• The cabin windows have grown blank as eyeballs of the dead.
• What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
• Each face was like the setting sun, / As, broad and red.
• Barefooted, ragged, with neglected hair, she was a thin slip of a girl, like a new moon.
• A fatal letter wings its way across the sea, like a bird of prey.
• I will sing a slumberous refrain, and you shall murmur like a child appeased.
• For she knows me! My heart, clear as a crystal beam / To her alone, ceases to be inscrutable.
• Leaf-strewing gales utter low wails like violins,
• He spit out his teeth like stones.
• Talk of your cold: through the parka’s fold it stabbed like a driven nail.
• Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh.
• Like winged stars the fire-flies flash and glance, / Pale in the open moonshine.
• The breath of her false mouth was like faint flowers, / Her touch was as electric poison.
• Then, as a hunted deer that could not flee, I turned upon my thoughts and stood at bay, wounded and weak and panting;
• There are thick woods where many a fountain, rivulet, and pond are as clear as elemental diamond.
• Years heap their withered hours, like leaves, on our decay.
• The ripples wimple on the rills, like sparkling little lasses.
• She was like a modest flower blown in sunny June and warm as sun at noon’s high hour.
• And the face of the waters that spread away / Was as gray as the face of the dead.
• As in depths of many seas, my heart was drowned in memories.
• Then like a cold wave on a shore, comes silence and she sings no more.
• And shout thy loud battle-cry, cleaving the silence like a sword.
• My soul is lost and tossed like a ship unruddered in a shoreless sea.
• The clouds like crowds of snowy-hued and white-robed maidens pass
• Dreams, like ghosts, must hide away; / ‘Tis the day.
• The evening stretches before me like a road.
• I would have hours that move like a glitter of dancers.
• Toby manipulated the people in his life as though they were chess pieces.
• And only to think that my soul could not react, but turned on itself like a tortured snake.
• There are strange birds like blots against a sky.
• She goes all so softly like a shadow on the hill, a faint wind at twilight.
• The horse-chestnuts dropped their buds like tears.
• They walk in awful splendor, regal yet, wearing their crimes like rich and kingly capes.
• Death is like moonlight in a lofty wood that pours pale magic through the shadowy leaves.
• I was sick of all the sorrow and distress that flourished in the City like foul weeds.
• As I read it in the white, morning sunlight, the letters squirmed like snakes.
• Oh, praise me not the silent folk; / To me they only seem / Like leafless, bird-abandoned oak.
• The windflowers and the lilies were yellow striped as adder’s tongue.
• I have seen old ships sail like swans asleep.
• For the world’s events have rumbled on since those days like traffic.
• And dance as dust before the sun, light of foot and unconfined.
• The fishes skim like umber shades through the undulating weeds.
• Gather up the undiscovered universe like jewels in a jasper cup.

Common Core State Standards Related to Simile

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.4 – Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.5 – Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

ELA Standards: Literature

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)

ELA Standards: Language

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.5 – Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5a – Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in context. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5b – Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5a – Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5b – Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g., literary, biblical, and mythological allusions) in context. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony, puns) in context. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.

163 Comments

I like similes….! am sober like a judge

I need a simile describing something negative at school

Esther Owate

I need similies that start with as

as cool as a cucumber

Patricia Wills-Obong

This Similie are awesome

Shiloh Jones

hey guys i need a simile thats about a blank white word document…. like ummmm

the blank white page stared at me like ….?

The blank. White page stared at me like as if there was something on my face

Delony Hamilton

Thank you it helped me with English and even helped me wrote a song.

she was screaming like a donkey and the donkey was screaming like my sister

Friendship is as sweet as ice-cream.

The clear water semmed like as if diamonds were melted into the water.

The clear water was like millions of melted diamonds.

It really helps this because we have assignment and I research for it about similes sentence ty

Abeeha Qadri

Is this sentence of metaphor is right: My sister’s memory is a camera that remembers everything we see

I need to write some similes for describing a hospital

Please help me with this…Write the similes of the following words- sold,tea,teach,reach,take,leave,fence,hear,son,earth please I need help with this words

Pls I need the following similes for… The clear water was like a…. The sick man was as …..as a child. The crafty man got his own way, he is a….

As anxious as…

so enlightening thanks its really good

the kittens fur was like velvet.

bill joy the 2nd

the banana was as yellow as the sun

I love dis. It helped me in doing my English assignment.

Plz help me out. I want to make sentences using both similies in a sentence. Plz help me plz at least five sentences I want

1.The true friendship is as sweet as ice cream 2.Honesty and laughter in a friendship are like bricks that support a building. 3. Friendship is like a circle that never end.s. 4.The heart of the person is like untracked nut. 5.The child is brave like lion.

Thanks for helping with my homework.

my head was aching like the downfall of ten thousand bombs

I am very happy to learn this topic

I’m so stuck with my English homework and I don’t know much about English language, so I need some help for these sentences to create a simile please:

1. A petrol bomb exploding 2. A military jail

Susan de la Vergne

Try freshening up your comparisons. Instead of “eyes blue as the sky” try “eyes blue as a shallow tropical lagoon at dawn.” One danger of similes is using cliches. Writing (and speaking) is much better without cliches.

My pillow was as hard as steel.

Martha Snyder

Help me with this. Write a simile to compare. A person’s eyes to the sky

eyes as blue as the sky or eyes as soft as the clouds

I need a simile The cellphone is like a The boy is small like a

A still pond is like Autumn leaves are like A volcano is like A poppy is like

I like this

i like this similes

Quite informative

this the thing that want and i got it now

please may you email some of your similies please

Why? They are here on this page.

i need a simile His golden fur was like…

Acre7227277272727272

His golden fur was like a candle in a dark room against the darkness behind him

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe Now

Popular content.

• Author's Purpose Worksheets
• Characterization Worksheets
• Common Core Lesson and Unit Plans
• Online Reading Practice Tests
• Plot Worksheets
• Reading Comprehension Worksheets
• Summary Worksheets
• Theme Worksheets

New and Updated Pages

• Capitalization Worksheets
• Contractions Worksheets
• Double Negatives Worksheets
• Homophones & Word Choice Worksheets

BECOME A MEMBER!

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

• Backchannel
• Newsletters
• WIRED Insider
• WIRED Consulting

Megan Farokhmanesh

Metaphor: ReFantazio Steals the Best Ideas From Persona 5

When it came time to make Metaphor: ReFantazio , developer Atlus had a guiding principle: make a video game that was a culmination of all the beloved RPGs the company had made before it. “We decided to challenge the fantasy genre,” director Katsura Hashino said this week during an online demo of the game. Atlus has been making games for some 35 years, and it wanted to pull together an all-star team to commemorate the anniversary.

Hashino has been instrumental throughout the Persona series; following Persona 5 ’s release, he moved away from P-Studio—the team working on Persona games—to start Studio Zero, another internal Atlus group. For Metaphor , Studio Zero brought in Persona character artist Shigenori Soejima and longtime composer Shoji Meguro. They also brought in guest developers Koda Kazuma, concept artist for NieR:Automata , and Ikuto Yamashita, one of the artists behind the beloved anime Neon Genesis Evangelion .

Metaphor: ReFantazio , scheduled to hit PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X on October 11, will combine many of the social elements of the Persona series with a faster combat system and new fantasy setting.

In Metaphor , a king’s assassination kicks off an election that will allow anyone to be the next sovereign, so long as they get enough backing. That means the protagonist, who is on a mission of his own, will need to form bonds with potential followers, earn monster-slaying bounties, explore dungeons, complete side jobs, and generally rally support.

Like the Persona games, there’s a social element at play, whether it’s building relationships with followers or hanging out with the game’s cast. There’s no fast-travel between destinations; instead, players get around on mobile bases equipped with everything from hang-out rooms to libraries to spots to cook or get your laundry done. It’s reminiscent of Persona’s incredibly satisfying, totally mundane tasks that make the game feel more alive.

Hashino says that Metaphor lets players build their squads using a job system based around powers called archetypes. “By confronting their anxiety, the protagonists acquire these archetypes, a special power,” he noted during Tuesday’s demo. “Their powers manifest in various forms throughout the game.” They may sound similar to Persona games’ eponymous enemies, but they’re more like traditional battle styles. A seeker is a well-rounded fighter, for example, whereas a mage fights with magic. Players can mix and match their parties however they want, including creating squads entirely of the same job.

Atlus is currently enjoying a renaissance thanks to the breakout popularity of games like Persona 5 in 2016 and Persona 3 Reload , released in March. Reload , a remake of a PS2 title, became the fastest-selling game in Atlus’ history within its first week . Metaphor retains much of the series’ eye-catching style and slick combat. It’s a massive game, Hashino says, one that “questions the power of fantasy, a power we all possess.”

Scott Gilbertson

Medea Giordano

You Might Also Like …

Navigate election season with our Politics Lab newsletter and podcast

Think Google’s “Incognito mode” protects your privacy? Think again

Blowing the whistle on sexual harassment and assault in Antarctica

The earth will feast on dead cicadas

Upgrading your Mac? Here’s what you should spend your money on

Filed under:

Welcome to a new era of trans-authored cinema

3 breakthrough movies are ushering in a new age of trans film

Share this story

• Share this on Facebook
• Share this on Reddit
• Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: Welcome to a new era of trans-authored cinema

Queer cinema has always been in a state of continual evolution, but the evolution of trans depiction has come slower, even during agreed-upon golden eras of queer cinema. But in 2024, we are in the midst of a potentially new movement in which three trans-authored films are reshaping the possibilities of what a trans film looks like, and how transness can be expressed in cinema.

In the 21st century, Hollywood saw the potential money in telling more “authentic” mainstream queer stories due to the advent of the New Queer Cinema of the 1990s. This movement saw radical directors like Todd Haynes, Marlon Riggs, Gus Van Sant, Cheryl Dunye, and Gregg Araki reshape the concept of how queer cinema could function, and they made a name for themselves alongside the booming popularity of the Sundance Film Festival.

At the conclusion of the decade, Hilary Swank took home an Oscar for playing Brandon Teena in Boys Don’t Cry in a moment of misguided cross-gender casting. Boys Don’t Cry was considered an instant classic at the time, and its prominence as an image of the New Queer Cinema meant its Academy Award victory was a pivotal moment for queer cinema and trans depiction alike. While this film was not perceived to be conformist at the time of its release, it has since become a model of upholding the transgressive, negative concepts of trans film images of the past, obfuscating the reality of the trans masculine body, and consigning stories of transness to familiar modes of biological underpinning: mirrors, outings, reveals, and tragedy.

For queer cinema to be viable and artistically revolutionary, it must upend the status quo of form and depiction. In the case of transness, this means a reinvention of how trans films are conceived at a visual level. Many of the trans-authored films of 2024 are promising an exciting new way forward for the concept of trans cinema, which refutes those trends of the past or renegotiates their status in a modern context. This burgeoning period feels like the trans equivalent of the reshaping of queer cinema that took place in the ’90s.

The modern trans mise-en-scène is directly inspired by the circumstances of the past, but the major difference between these films and something like The Matrix is these filmmakers are not forced to smuggle their ideas into the film through secretive metaphor. Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow is an ambient nightmare of hissing, flashing, crackling liminal analog spaces reminiscent of David Lynch, conveying trans experiences through visual language rather than direct representation.

Where to watch the movies mentioned in this piece

• I Saw the TV Glow : In theaters May 3
• The People’s Joker : Now playing in theaters
• T-Blockers : Digital rental or purchase on Amazon, Apple TV, and Vudu

The directness of Schoenbrun’s usage of thematic and personal metaphors through the guise of horror is a classic storytelling device, but the way these ideas are communicated is startling, singular, and new territory for a mainstream horror picture. Their mise-en-scène embodies the specific experience of gender dysphoria and bodily disassociation through the character of Owen (Justice Smith) over a period of decades. Schoenbrun keys into beautiful liminal images and uses the in-between spaces of static on television sets, or a close-up of saliva fizzing through a bushel of cotton candy, to evince the indecipherable physical state of knowing something is amiss but being unable to find the words to describe what’s wrong. Through this idea, they illuminate a nature of transness as a true visualized bodily experience.

I Saw the TV Glow chronicles the relationship between Owen and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) as they bond over a horror-tinged television series called The Pink Opaque in the mid-to-late ’90s. Things become strange when they are no longer sure if the characters they are watching are fictional, or versions of themselves. The Pink Opaque is deliberately crafted to look like ’90s TV shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Are You Afraid of the Dark? and follows heroines Isabel (Helena Howard) and Tara (Lindsey Jordan) as they try to defeat the “big bad” Mr. Melancholy.

Schoenbrun taps into the complex nature of trans viewership and nostalgia, which is typically built upon images of fantasy as placeholders until the trans person in question can fully embody their own identity. The film wonders if this type of idealized pursuit can ever truly be a healthy relationship, which acts as an enticing metaphor that questions the value of the queer gaze and the desire to have our stories reflected on screen — and whether or not that want is just another form of prolonged closeting. TV Glow subtly interrogates how trans viewers watch things — how fantasy can be formed, and how it can curdle under the tragic weight of time. When you’ve grown up without images of yourself, you’re liable to find yourself in unexpected places. Schoenbrun, importantly, never opts for classic signifiers of transness on screen (such as cracked mirrors), but indulges in what they find beautiful and where they found their voice, such as analog horror, void spaces, and modern gothic interpretations.

In The People’s Joker, director, star, and co-writer Vera Drew found her voice through a trans coming-of-age tale encased in the phenomenon of the superhero picture. Her film is a trans memoir that also functions as a satire. It directly addresses images of fantasy in relation to the trans viewing experience , and begins with protagonist Vera watching Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever and becoming intoxicated with the image of Nicole Kidman as Dr. Chase Meridian.

Vera wishes she could look like her someday, which makes her ’90s pre-adolescent mind wonder if there’s something wrong with her. She asks her mom if she was born in the wrong body, and is then whisked away into a montage of psychiatrists unable to fix her problems. She is prescribed “Smylex” — a drug that stretches the user’s face into an artificial grin, like Joker’s laughing gas. Years later, in this fascist, dystopian Gotham City, Vera, now an adult, performs at an illegal comedy club as “Joker the Harlequin.’’ In her avant-garde act, she intentionally bombs with material about her mother and being a trans woman before using Smylex as a crescendo, sending her into a laughing fit.

Vera initially conceived of The People’s Joker as a found footage exercise, which would have used existing footage from other sources to create a new Joker film. That impulse of remixing is still felt in what The People’s Joker eventually became, but now those images have been repurposed to illuminate Vera’s own lived experience as a trans comedian through the absurdist imagery of superhero IP.

With its bursting, tacky green screens and vibrant, animated sequences built on brash, contrasting color elements, its primary visual influence is the queer-coded Schumacher Batman films. The People’s Joker tells viewers exactly what it will be with the desire to evoke the glamour of Kidman in Batman Forever, but the experience of being trans never results in the fantasy ending of what a body will become through hormone therapy and socialized transition.

There is beauty in seeing those fragments of fantasy filter through regardless, and how the trans body is its own impossibly restless, ever-changing monument to desire and fulfillment. The fantasy is only the start, and it’s later you discover who you’ll eventually become. The People’s Joker is a monument to that very idea, because it is at once all the elements of Joker (2019), Kidman’s Chase Meridian, Harley Quinn, and Selina Kyle’s transformative moment in Batman Returns all rolled into one being. Vera’s Joker falls into a vat of estradiol at one point, and the concept of the Batman film falls with her, forcing a transition upon its frame, giving it a new trans feminine body.

Film history undergoes a similar trans-feminization in Alice Maio Mackay’s self-aware T-Blockers . The movie begins with an Elvira-like drag midnight movie hostess talking about the virtues of shot-on-video horror films made by trans people in the 1990s that didn’t actually exist, but were fabricated for the sake of this narrative. One of the defining factors of these three trans-authored films is the impulse to fill in the blanks of what was missing from trans film history. It is resulting in works that are self-reflexive, and prone to basking in camp alongside topics and scenes that are deadly serious. Fellow trans critic Juan Barquin astutely described the Australian trans wunderkind director Mackay as “the self aware gen z ed wood we deserve.”

Ed Wood has a broader reputation as a notoriously awful filmmaker, but in truth, he was groundbreaking, and one of the first architects of how trans cinema would operate going forward, and his films also lived in that space of camp and serious personal issues. His riotous Glen or Glenda (1953) is a multifaceted combination of medical drama, documentary, and horror film, and whose structural influences are felt across the generations of trans film image-making, ranging from Doris Wishman’s Let Me Die a Woman (1977) up through the recent Orlando, My Political Biography (2023) . Mackay lives with the spirit of Ed Wood, because she is making pictures with her friends about whatever she wants with meager budgets, and with the ingenuity to argue for broader political acceptance of a minority class while also indulging in the direct pleasures of genre cinema.

Mackay’s T-Blockers begins, like all of her films, with a title card that reads “A Transgender Film By,” an ode to Gregg Araki’s tendency to announce the latent queerness of his projects with a title card championing their queerness. T-Blockers is a film about art imitating life imitating art in the vein of Cheryl Dunye’s New Queer Cinema classic The Watermelon Woman (1996), and follows a young trans filmmaker named Sophie (Lauren Last) as she tries to make it in the film industry and learn more about a trans film from the past that doesn’t actually exist.

One evening, she watches a late-night internet streaming picture show that showcases an unknown, rediscovered short film from a trans filmmaker from the ’90s. The film-within-the-film was shot on video and chronicles a trans lead in the process of killing a transphobic man who was leaking parasites out of his mouth. Sophie is shocked by the short film due to its mere existence, but also because she and her friends encountered a man infested with those same parasites outside of their local gay bar not too long ago. The parasite takes the image of bodily disintegration and dysphoria prevalent in body horror films from David Cronenberg , reinterpreting it through the lens of transphobia as an infection that spreads among a population.

It’s a film communicating directly to the moment at hand, where transphobia has spread like wildfire among legislative bodies as various conservative governments across the globe have latched onto it as an agreeable fear-mongering tactic. Diegetic radio broadcasts are heard throughout the film discussing this very topic, and the climax hinges on Sophie and her friends contending with a flock of protesters looking for a return to the values of the past. This is where the parasite breeds.

T-Blockers is also a salient picture that prioritizes the importance of available images to trans viewers, so that we may learn from our history and see ourselves in film. Sophie learns how to fight the parasites through her discovery of this short film from the ’90s, and through this link to the past, she also finally believes in the possibility of making films as a trans person.

The trans film archive is one that is largely closed to trans viewers, because there is not a mainstream precedent for our inclusion in motion pictures, and the independent and forgotten films of disreputable genres have long been neglected in cinephile spaces. Due to the nature of the hidden archive, trans filmmakers are taking an oblong route in telling their own stories by finding beauty in other images, such as horror shows from the ’90s, or comic book movies, or Gregg Araki films, and introducing their own spin on preexisting modes of expression. It is a dynamic way of moving transness on screen forward and transcending limiting concepts of good or bad representation in favor of an expressionistic take on gender identity.

With I Saw the TV Glow , The People’s Joker , and T-Blockers , we are potentially witnessing the beginning of a new era of trans image-making where transness is more clearly defining itself without the imposition of cisgender assumptions about what it means to be a trans person. With these three films, and other recent pictures made by trans filmmakers such as Angelo Madsen Minax, Isabel Sandoval, Tourmaline, Jessica Rovinelli, and Louise Weard, we are seeing the formulation of a new trans cinema movement in North America that has hopefully only just begun.

Loading comments...

Metaphor: ReFantazio gets mega-trailer and October release date - good news, brawler-only parties are viable

Atlus' latest showcase reveals a whole lot more

As one of the Treehouse's resident Atlus sickos, I was incredibly happy to wake up to 25-minutes of Metaphor: ReFantazio 's director Katsura Hashino talking us through some new footage. We get a look at a new rural town and the activities you can get up to, like bounty hunting. Travel on your magic mech is compared to "camping", which I wasn't expecting. And there's lots of combat on show, with transitions from real-time to turn-based battles outlined in a bit more detail. Oh and it's coming out in October, which gives me plenty of time to clear my JRPG backlog before this inevitably takes over my entire existence for the foreseeable.

Atlus already briefed us a little on what to expect from Metaphor's fantasy JRPG-ing, especially in how it compares to Persona . But in its latest stream, they delved into those aspects in a touch more detail, kicking off with some travelling around the world map.

The player ends up in "Martira", an "old castle town", where they scroll through some bounties. From the looks of things, you'd pick one of these up, then head out on foot into the "Wasteland" to track these beasties down. The "Wasteland" encompasses the dangerous zones between major towns, cities, and the like, and is something you'd typically travel through on your super-mech called the "Gauntlet Runner".

Much like Persona, where time is a limited resource to be spent wisely, Metaphor grants you a set time frame to complete the main story quest. There's a look at the overworld map from about 13:44 in the video, where the player sees that it'll take one day to reach some woods where the bounty lies, which eats into their predetermined travel schedule.

When you travel between zones in the Gauntlet Runner, you're actually able to explore inside and use its facilities (you can see this in the video at around the 15 minute mark). "Cooking, conversing, camping, and more", apparently. What's quite amusing is Hashino pointing out the washing machine and cleaning supplies. In Persona 5 you could get rusty armour cleaned at a laundromat to reveal their true, powerful forms. I wonder if it's the same case, here?

Jobs or "Archetypes" are outlined briefly, too (around 16:50). It looks like they're interchangeable and comparable to Persona's personas, which are powerful beings manifested when characters confront their anxieties. At 17:44 in the video, we get a glimpse at what looks like a job tree/bee hive, showing various jobs leading to many other various jobs.

When in dungeons, you can run about and scan enemies to judge their level. Fights against lower level enemies can be sped through in real time, which is an excellent time-saver I approve of! Turn-based combat is reserved for a battle with a demonic lion, where the player partakes of the usual spells and basic attacks and things. Apparently there's loads of main and side dungeons, and Atlus have done their best to reduce "anything that might bore you". I really hope that's the case, as Persona 5's dungeons - even Royal's updated versions - could get very, very tedious.

Inevitably, we get a glimpse at the "Follower" system, where the protagonist meets a bunny lady called Catherina (around 21:24). They develop a bond, shake hands, and the "Brawler" archetype unlocks. What's really neat, though, is that the player creates a party of only Brawlers and apparently that's entirely viable. Wonderful news, speaking as someone who gets a bit miffed when JRPG character slots almost certainly require a spellcaster, a healer, and all that. If Metaphor lets us run with wackier party builds, I'm here for it.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is launching on the 11th October, and you can keep up with it over on its Steam and Xbox pages.

Read this next

• Metaphor: ReFantazio's developers explain how it compares and differs from Persona
• Metaphor: ReFantazio gets a new trailer and it's as beautiful as any Persona
• Metaphor: ReFantazio is a new "high fantasy" RPG from the makers of Persona

• Category: Games

Check Out the First Metaphor: ReFantazio Gameplay Reveal, Launching October 11

• During a recent livestream, Atlus showed a brand-new trailer for the upcoming Metaphor: ReFantanzio .
• Get a first look at gameplay, with developer commentary, as segments of the game are explored.
• Metaphor: ReFantanzio is set to launch October 11, 2024, for Xbox Series X|S.

A special developer livestream, titled “Atlus Exclusive,” took place today for Metaphor: ReFantazio , revealing brand new details about the upcoming RPG . Studio Zero Director Katsura Hashino, who you might know from Shin Megami Tensei III — Nocturne, Persona 3, Persona 4 , and Persona 5 — introduced the first hands-on gameplay for the title with a 30-minute livestream (dubbed and subbed in English), discussing his development vision and creative inspirations as he explored various segments from the game.

During the livestream, Hashino-san started by introducing viewers to the premise of the story and acquainting them with the protagonist, and his fairy companion Gallica. The game is filled with interesting allies, rivals, and terrifying monsters that will come across his journey.

After displaying some of the introductory parts of the game, the first stop of the journey is shown with the Royal Capital Grand Trad. This is where you can start getting a sense of scale of the game as you walk through the city and view the maps. Fans were also given a first look at another local, Martira, a town that hasn’t been shown before.

As Hashino-san moves through dungeons and locations, he dives deeper into the gameplay systems and the journey the game takes you through.  At the heart of it is the Gauntlet Runner, a fun and cool vehicle that can travel safely across wastelands, that also doubles up as your home base and HQ. The Gauntlet Runner is quite spacious with numerous functions, so use your time as you please!

Another important element of the game is Archetypes, which lies in the job system. The Archetypes are a special power that can awaken in various forms. A few Hashino-san highlights are the Seeker, the Mage, and the Thief, which were put on display in a dungeon. Archetypes can be used by your other party members, giving countless options in forming your party.

Throughout the livestream, Hashino-san also shared interesting information about the music, concepts behind the art and design, and teased some of the story, as well as insights into combat strategy, enemy analysis and more!

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a massive game, with much more to share throughout the coming months. Notably, one of the most exciting news from the livestream: we have a launch date to share! Metaphor: ReFantazio will launch on October 11, 2024 on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC.

Physical pre-orders for the title are now open at participating retailers, with a special physical Collector’s Edition for those looking to commemorate this exciting launch. To accompany this exciting announcement, the team shared a new trailer, The King’s Trial, for Metaphor: ReFantazio highlighting much of what is to come – you can watch it below!

Since it’s been 35 years since Atlus released its first title, we see Metaphor: ReFantazio as a culmination of everything that makes Atlus what it is — distinctive style & UI, cutting-edge combat, engaging characters and legendary stories. We can think of no better way to celebrate this momentous occasion than releasing Metaphor: ReFantazio for all the old and new Atlus fans alike.

If you want to learn more, please watch the full livestream on the Atlus YouTube channel or wish list the game here on Xbox . That’s all the team has to share for now but please keep an eye out for more information and reveals as we start the countdown to October 11! Also stay tuned to the ATLUS West official channels Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter .

Metaphor: ReFantazio

• Get the Newsletter

Please support Game Informer.  Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue

Metaphor: ReFantazio Gets October Release Date In New Gameplay Trailer

Publisher Atlus and developer Studio Zero have released a new trailer for the upcoming fantasy RPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio , and it features plenty of new gameplay. It also reveals Metaphor: ReFantazio will hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 11. 

Dubbed "The King's Trial," this new trailer sets up a bit of the Metaphor: ReFantazio's world more, highlighting a tournament for the king's throne at the center of the narrative. It seems our protagonist and the friends and allies they encounter along the way are vying for a crown that others are also after. In order to claim it, players must complete trials across the lands, proving their worth. 

Check it out for yourself in the Metaphor: ReFantazio gameplay trailer below : 

As you can see, Metaphor: ReFantazio continues to look excellent, with its Persona inspirations on full display. That's not surprising, though, considering Studio Zero is composed of various leads from Atlus' popular Persona series, including the latest in the franchise, Persona 5 . 

If you've played Persona 5 Royal , or even the recently released Persona 3 Reload , then you know we're likely in for a treat when it comes to a few things: combat, narrative, and art. And if this new look at the game's menu are any indication, the Persona team has been cooking something special for Metaphor: ReFantazio. 

The trailer also reveals Metaphor: ReFantazio will get a special Collector's Edition for $149.99. The game's standard release will cost $69.99.

Here's what the Collector's Edition looks like : 

Metaphor: ReFantazio hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 11, 2024. 

For more about the game,  watch the Metaphor: ReFantazio reveal trailer.  Read  Game Informer's  Persona 5 Royal review , and then read  Game Informer's  Persona 5 Tactica review  after that. 

Are you picking up Metaphor: ReFantazio on day one? Let us know in the comments below!

Products In This Article

Metaphor: ReFantazio

Thanks for reading.

I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer ’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue , we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.

Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.

We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.

It’s not possible without support.

In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.

Popular Content

Nintendo Switch Online: Every NES, SNES, Game Boy, N64, Sega Genesis, And GBA Game

Send Us Your Questions And Rants For A Chance To Win A Game Informer Gold Copy Of The Star Wars Outlaws Issue

Fallout 4 Gets A Next-Gen Update Today – Here's What To Expect

Stellar Blade Review – More Than A Pretty Face

Stellar Blade Is Based On The Bible, But Don’t Take It Too Seriously

TopSpin 2K25 Review – A Strong Return

Sand Land Review – Devil’s In The Details

Another Crab's Treasure Review – Undercooked Adventure

Deathbound, A Single-Player Party-Based Soulslike, Hits PlayStation, Xbox, And PC This Year

Stellar Starter Tips For Stellar Blade

View the discussion thread.

Fox Colleagues Rib Jesse Watters for Bad Pro-Trump Metaphor

Watters compared Trump to King Kong—prompting his co-hosts to remind him that the monster gorilla dies at the end of the film.

William Vaillancourt

Jesse Watters , who is still not done complaining about how Donald Trump is being treated unfairly during his New York criminal trial , compared the indicted former president to King Kong on Wednesday, only to be reminded by his colleagues that the giant gorilla-like monster in the original creature feature dies at the end of the film.

If you had thought the Fox News host had got all of his gripes out of the way on Monday’s episode of The Five , think again. Just two days later, Watters suggested that requiring Trump to adhere to the courtroom rules and trial schedule could result in violent consequences.

Democrats, Watters began, feel threatened by Trump “because he can play on their turf in the Rust Belt, and he can play in their base with Blacks, Hispanics, young people.”

“So they have decided to stop politicking and they just want to incarcerate the guy, and they caught him. They trapped him in a cage—we call it a courtroom, but it’s a cage—and he is like King Kong,” Watters said, bouncing off of his comments earlier this week knocking Trump’s mandatory courtroom presence four days a week as “cruel and unusual punishment,” in part because he can’t golf.

Watters claimed Trump is being looked at “like an animal” by members of the press who have attended proceedings.

“They are sending [MSNBC anchor Rachel] Maddow down there and she is looking at him like an animal. ‘Man, his hair is really orange. Look at his eyes and his lips. He is angry, he is mad, he is upset.’ Watching him—they are not providing any sort of legal analysis,” Watters argued, despite how that network’s trial coverage has featured hours of input from legal experts .

“They’re acting like he’s a zoo creature. And what happens with King Kong?” Watters asked. “You remember. Boom! It’s not going to be good. So he’s going to bust out of this cage eventually. They’re not going to be able to keep him down.”

Co-host Harold Ford Jr. then chimed in succinctly with some context: “They killed King Kong.”

Jeanine Pirro rubbed it in. “Yeah!” she exclaimed. Fox contributor Tyrus did the same, while co-host Dana Perino cracked up.

“I don’t think I saw the end of that movie,” Watters admitted of the 1933 film, which concludes with King Kong breaking loose from his shackles, smashing his way through New York City, and bringing a blonde actress up to the top of the Empire State building. There, he is struck by gunfire from several biplanes, and then falls to his death.

“Well, I think King Kong 2 was a little bit different,” Watters added, even though none of the later films in the franchise have that title.

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast  here .

READ THIS LIST