Elements of Poetry: Metaphor and Simile

Two tools a writer can use to create meaning in a short amount of space are the devices metaphor and simile. They are very similar to each other in that they both make comparison between two unlike objects. A simile does so by creating a link between the objects with the word "like" or "as". A metaphor simply uses a linking verb to join the two ideas. Compare the two statements, "She dances like an angel" and "She is an angel". Notice that the metaphor is actually open to more interpretation than the simile, because there are more connections that the reader can make. In saying that she dances like an angel, the reader is not examining the girl's personality or physical appearance, only the way she dances. In the metaphor, however, the reader can link as many attributes of the girl to an angel as the imagination permits; she looks angelic, she has a charitable disposition, she brings light wherever she goes, she is very graceful. Metaphors can also be extended throughout a paragraph or poem by linking many aspects of the two objects together.
Using a metaphor is a great way to start a poem. Simply make two columns in the brainstorming process, and put the topic you would like to write about in the first column, and the object you are going to connect it to in the second column. Then, list as many characteristics of your topic under the first column and see if you can then make parallel connections to your object, or metaphor. For example, if you choose to write about your personality and compare it to water, your paper may look like this:


Personality
Often changes
Can be overwhelming; If angry, can destroy
Can be nurturing


Water
can be vapor, liquid, or ice
can become a flood and destroy
needed for life


Once you have enough aspects that correspond between the two, you can form a poem around the information.