Similes in Literature: Usage, Examples & Importance

Simile

• A simile is a literary device used to describe something by comparing it to another.
• It is usually marked by the usage of the words ‘like’ and ‘as.’
• It could be a comparison between two like things or two unlike things.

Example:

• Life is like a box of chocolates.
• My love is like a red rose.
• She sang like an angel.
• He is as fast as a snail.

Importance of Similes

• Help the audience visualize the text in mind.
• It makes the text more vivid and imaginative.
• Helps the audience understand the text easily.

Examples in Literature

True Friend

By Ashley Campbell

A friend is like a star that twinkles and glows

Or maybe like the ocean that gently flows.

A friend is like gold that you should treasure

And take care of it forever and ever.

Daffodils

By William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

that floats on high o’er vales and hills.

Simile Vs. Metaphor

Simile and Hyperbole.

• Similes often use hyperbole or exaggeration.
• They are never over-the-top exaggerations.
• Example: He was as fast as lightning.