Figures of speech are literary devices which are used to convey ideas that go beyond their literal meaning.
In English, there are more than 200 different types of figures of speech. The simile is one of them.
Meaning of Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two things with similar qualities. It employs words such as ‘like‘ or ‘as‘.
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- The prisoners languished like caged animals. (The prisoners are likened to caged animals.)
- Manisha is as thin as a reed. (Manisha is compared to a reed.)
Examples of Simile
“She entered with an ungainly struggle like some huge awkward chicken, torn, squawking, out of its coop.”
—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Three Gables
“In the eastern sky, there was a yellow patch like a rug laid for the feet of the coming sun…”
—Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage
“O my Luve’s like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve’s like the melodie
That’s sweetly played in tune.”
— Robert Burns, Red Red Rose
“The air smelled sharp as new-cut wood, slicing low and sly around the angles of buildings.”
—Joanne Harris, Chocolat
Also, Read
Types of Figures of Speech