In this interactive lesson, students will define and examine the use of simile and metaphors in poetry and literature.

1. SSimilesimiles
andand
MMetaphorsetaphors
OBJECTIVES:
Define a simile and a metaphor
Understand the purpose of similes and metaphors
Explore similes and metaphors in literature and music
Create your own similes and metaphors

2. 2
Definition of SimileDefinition of Simile
• Authors use simile to explain,
express emotion, and to make
their writing more vivid and
entertaining
Purpose of SimilePurpose of Simile
• A simile is a comparison of
two unlike things using
‘like’ or ‘as’

3. 3created by Dianne St Clair
Simile:Simile: ExamplesExamples
The night was as black as
coal.
The paper is as light as a
feather.
The ocean was a raging
bull.
Her eyes shone like stars
in the night sky.
The horse moved with

4. 4
Simile in PoetrySimile in Poetry
“O my luve's like a red, red rose.
That's newly sprung in June;
O my luve's like a melodie
That's sweetly play'd in tune.”
excerpt from A Red, Red Rose
by Robert Burns

5. 5
Similes in LiteratureSimiles in 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
“The café was like a
battleship stripped for
action.”
The Sun Also Rises
by Ernest Hemingway
“She is, as sailors say, like a
lady's watch, always out of
repair.”
Two Years Before The Mast
by Richard Henry Dana Jr.

6. 6created by Dianne St Clair
Simile:Simile: More Examples!More Examples!
.
For more examples of simile

7. 7created by Dianne St Clair
Definition of MetaphorDefinition of Metaphor
• A metaphor is a comparison that says one
thing is something else.
• Literally, it is not!
Her laugther is a
gentle song.
Metaphors are similar to
similes, but make a
comparison instead of
actually suggesting that
two things are
essentially the same.

8. 8created by Dianne St Clair
Examples of MetaphorsExamples of Metaphors
• She is sunshine, brightening our day
• A blank page is a playground for imagination
• The melody is a balm to my soul.
• The wheels of justice turn slowly.
• His cotton candy words did not appeal to
her taste.

9. 9
Metaphor in PoetryMetaphor in Poetry
"The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.“
Fog
by Carl Sandburg

10. 10
Metaphor in PoetryMetaphor in Poetry
"Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.
We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility."...
extract from 'Because I could not stop for Death‘
by Emily Dickenson

11. 11
Metaphor in LiteratureMetaphor in Literature
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women
merely players;
They have their exits and their
entrances;
As You Like It
— William Shakespeare, As You Like It
This quote is a metaphor because the world is not literally a stage.
By figuratively asserting that the world is a stage, Shakespeare
uses the points of comparison between the world and a stage to
convey how the world works and the lives of the people within it.

12. 12
Simile or Metaphor?
The field is a rainbow of colors.
METAPHORMETAPHOR

13. 13
Simile or Metaphor?
The trees are like a canopy
covering the road.
Simile

14. 14
Simile or Metaphor?
The lake is a mirror of beauty.
METAPHORMETAPHOR

15. 15
Simile or Metaphor?
The clouds are as balls of cotton.
Simile

16. 16created by Dianne St Clair
SSimilesimiles andand MMetaphorsetaphors
inin MMusicusic
Look and listen for similes
and metaphors in these
song clips!