Simile, metaphor, analogy

 

Q:

Can you please describe a simile vs. a metaphor? Can you please give examples of each?

Also, how would you define "analogy"?

Thank you.

Carolku
carolku@mindspring.com
Posted 01 October 2002
A:

A simile is a figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often with a phrase introduced by like or as:

Her teeth are like pearls.
He’s white as a sheet.
"A deferred dream dries up like a raisin in the sun." (Langston Hughes)

A metaphor implies a comparison between otherwise dissimilar things without the use of like or as:

"All the world’s a stage." (Shakespeare)
She’s so shy. She’s a little mouse.
By marrying her, he’s embarked on a sea of troubles.

An analogy is a type of comparison. It compares objects or ideas from different classes ?things not normally associated. The word analogy refers to a whole idea or paragraph; the analogy itself may contain similes and/or metaphors:

I was so sick. My head felt like a battered soccer ball, and the nasty flu was the home team trying to score a goal with it.