A figure of speech is a departure from the ordinary form of expression. It is employed to produce a greater effect.
There are four different kinds of figures of speech.
1. Those based on resemblance
Examples are: simile, metaphor, personification and apostrophe
2. Those based on contrast
Examples are: antithesis and epigram
3. Those based on association
Examples are: metonymy and synecdoche
4. Those depending on the construction of the plot
Examples are: climax and anticlimax
In a simile we make a comparison between two objects of different kinds. These two objects will have at least one point in common.
The righteous shall flourish as the palm tree. (Here a comparison is made between the righteous and the palm tree.)
Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale.
O my Love’s like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Love’s like a melodie
That’s sweetly played in tune.
Here are some similes common in everyday speech.
- as proud as a peacock
- as cool as a cucumber
- as hard as nails
- as good as gold
- as old as the hills
- as clear as crystal
A comparison of two things of the same kind is not a simile.
A metaphor is an implied simile. It doesn’t state that one thing is like another or acts as another. Instead it says that the two things are one and the same. A simile, on the other hand, says that one thing is like another.
Thus, when we say, ‘She is like an angel’ we use a simile, but when we say ‘She is an angel’, we use a metaphor.
- Life is a dream. (Metaphor)
- Life is like a dream. (Simile)
- The camel is the ship of the desert. (Metaphor)