Similes and Metaphors:
A Brief Review and Applied Practice
• ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How can we use figurative language
like similes and metaphor to enhance our writing?
• ANSWER: Using figurative language can help enhance our
writing and take it from ordinary to EXTRAORDINARY.
Simile
• Simile
• Is a comparison
between two
unlike things.
• A simile compares
by using the words
“LIKE” or “AS”.
“O my love is like a
red, red rose”
Simile in Action: Using “LIKE”
• When you compare a
noun to a noun, the
simile is usually
introduced by like:
–Example:
• After such long
exposure to the
direct sun, the
leaves of the
houseplant looked
like pieces of
overcooked bacon.
Simile in Action: Using “AS”
• When a verb or phrase is
compared to another verb
or phrase, the simile usually
uses “as”.
– Example:
• Here is your pencil
and paper. I want you
to compete as the
greatest hero would
in the race of his life.
WE NEED TO HAVE CLEAR CONNECTIONS
AND COMPARISONS!
• “The sprinter raced around the
track like a cheetah.”
• This simile has a clear
connection OR comparison.
• What is the
connection/comparison?
Unclear Connection
• “Life is like a bed of roses.”
• Life and roses are different in EVERY
way. The writer must explain the
connection for the reader.
Clear Connection
• “Life is like a bed of roses because it
looks pretty, but can be very painful at
times".
• According to this simile how are life and
roses similar?
Metaphor Defined
• Metaphor
• Shows a
relationship
between things
seemingly opposite
to each other.
• Helps us recognize
similarities
between two things
that are opposites
Identifying Metaphor
• “I wonder when motor mouth is going to
run out of gas.”
• Identify what is being compared .
Examples
• “You are my sunshine.”
Examples
• “You are my knight in shining armor.”
Katy Perry“Firework”
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How can we use figurative language
to enhance our writing?
ANSWER: Using figurative language can help enhance our
writing and take it from ordinary to EXTRAORDINARY.
“FIREWORK” LYRICS
Songwriters: Dean, Esther; Eriksen, Mikkel;
Hermansen, Tor Erik; Perry, Katy; Wilhelm, Sandy
Julien
“Do you ever feel like a
plastic bag
Drifting through the
wind
Wanting to start again”
SIMILE – Katy Perry is
comparing how a plastic
bag drifts through the air
with no purpose or
direction to how she
feels in her life –
constantly drifting with
no direction.
“Do you ever
feel, feel so
paper thin
Like a house of
cards
One blow from
caving in”
SIMILE – Katy Perry
is comparing her
life to a “house of
cards,” describing
how easily a thin
piece of paper (a
card) can fall over
just as she herself
could be “blown”
over or “cave in”.
“Do you ever
feel already
buried deep
Six feet under
scream
But no one
seems to hear a
thing”
METAPHOR – Katy
Perry is comparing
how ‘down and out’
she feels. She feels
like she is so down, or
sad, she is “six feet
under” meaning, she is
almost buried
underground. If one is
buried underground,
no one can hear their
voice. Katy Perry is
trying to describe how
she feels she has no
voice, or no one is
listening to her.
“Do you know that
there's still a chance
for you
‘Cause there's a
spark in you
You just gotta ignite
the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of
July”
SIMILE – Katy Perry is comparing the excitement and
surprise of the Fourth of July to how confident we should
be as individuals. Just as the Fourth of July is spectacular,
so should we feel in our daily lives.
IMAGERY – when the
author paints a picture
with his/her words.
What picture does Katy
Perry paint here with her
words? {HINT: What is
the “spark” in all of us?}
ANSWER – Katy Perry is
painting the image of a
spark, or a firework, a
“light” in all of us that
shines. The “spark” could
be our talents, our gifts,
our kind words to others,
a variety of things.
(Chorus)
“Cause baby you're a
firework
Come on show 'em what
you’re worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh,
oh!"
As you shoot across the
sky
Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors
burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh,
oh!"
You're gonna leave 'em
fallin' down”
METAPHOR – Katy
Perry is comparing
us (the reader) to a
firework. Just as a
firework explodes
and gives forth
light, so do we.
Our “colors” make
us unique, just like
a peacock’s
feathers.
“You don't have to feel
like a waste of space
You're original, cannot
be replaced
If you only knew what
the future holds
After a hurricane comes
a rainbow”
SIMILE – Katy Perry is
comparing how one
might feel out of place
like a “waste of space”.
Katy Perry is trying to
emphasize that we each
have our special place
and no one can replace
us. We are all valuable.
“Maybe you're the reason why all the doors are
closed
So you can open one that leads you to the perfect
road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow
And when it's time, you'll know
You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July”
SIMILE – Katy Perry is comparing how our “heart will blow” when we
let ourselves shine. We will be happy and feel free, this is why our
“heart will blow”. She compares this to a “lightning bolt”. A lightning
bolt is shocking, exciting and strong, just as Katy Perry is encouraging
us to be in our daily lives.
(Chorus)
“ 'Cause baby you're a
firework
Come on, show 'em what
you're worth
Make 'em go, oh
As you shoot across the
sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors
burst
Make 'em go, oh
You're gonna leave 'em
falling down”
METAPHOR – There is a double meaning here. Katy
Perry is comparing how loud and bright a firework
can be (us) , to how bright the moon is in the sky.
“Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon,
moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you,
you
And now it's time to let it through”
“ 'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon”