Last time, I covered similes and so it’s only fitting to go over metaphors this time around.

Similes and metaphors are both used as tools of comparison to relate an often abstract or convoluted idea with as few words as possible. They are most often employed in poetry, although you will find both used throughout literature.

So how are they different? A simile is the comparison of two unlike things, and so is a metaphor. However, with a metaphor, you are not merely comparing two objects, but saying they are equal in some way. A simile, by contrast, is just a comparison. Of course, if you see the words “like” or “as” employed, then it is most definitely a simile. Yet as I mentioned last time, not all similes use “like” or “as.” (follow the link for more as well as for a great example of an extended metaphor)


A good basic example of a metaphor is: My classmate Charlie Krunket of 702 Longfellow Lane is a bull. Obviously, Charlie is not actually a bull, but I am saying he is equal to a bull in some way. If you want to come up with a metaphor yourself, the basic format is: [first subject] is [second subject].

Now, if I were to say instead: “Charlie is madder than a bull,” then that is a simile. I’m not saying the two subjects are equal here, but merely comparing the two.

As for coming up with good metaphors, that is very difficult to do. The best way to start is by studying the expert on the matter, William Shakespeare. There are also extended metaphors:

war.gif