Metaphors and similes can not only make our writing more interesting but also help us to think more carefully about our subjects.
Put another way, metaphors and similes are not just pretty ornaments; they are ways of thinking.
How do we begin to create metaphors and similes?
For one thing, we must be ready to play with language and ideas.
A comparison like the following, for example, might appear in an early draft of an essay:
Laura sang like an old cat.
As we revise our draft, we might try adding more details to the comparison to make it more precise and interesting:
When Laura sang, she sounded like a cat sliding down a chalkboard.
George has been working at the same automobile factory six days a week, ten hours a day, for the past twelve years. (Use a simile or a metaphor to show how worn out George was feeling.)
Sample Responses to Sentence #1
a. George felt as worn out as the elbows on his work shirt.
b. George felt as worn out as an old phonograph record.
c. George felt worn out, like an old punching bag.
d. George felt as worn out as the rusted Impala that carried him to work every day.
e. George felt as worn out as an old joke that was never very funny in the first place.
f. George felt worn out and useless--just another broken fan belt, a burst radiator hose, a stripped wing nut, a discharged battery.
