Mastering the Simile
“The evening is spread out against the sky/Like a patient etherized upon a table.”
-T.S. Eliot, “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock”
Developed by Maureen A. Roe, 2003
Welcome
The purpose of this program is:
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To instruct you on the definition and use of the simile
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To enable you to produce more effective descriptive writing
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To allow you to integrate technology into your learning
The learning objectives include assisting you in:
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Describing a scene
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Describing a musical score
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Creating your own similes
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Identifying similes
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Evaluating the effectiveness of similes
Let’s Begin…
Definition
Introduction
Welcome
Definition
Examples
Practice
Describe a
Picture
Describe a song
What is a simile?
A figure of speech that compares unlike things in
order to describe something. Similes do not state
that something is another thing. Instead, they
compare using the word “like” or “as.”
Write similes
Identify &
Explaining
Similes
Analyze Similes
Assessment
Quiz
Metacognition
Let’s look at some examples…
Example 1
From Robert Burns’ “A Red,
Red Rose”:
“My love is like a red,
red rose.”
Example 2
From Elizabeth Bishop’s
“The Fish”:
“I caught a tremendous
fish…/ his brown skin
hung in strips/ like
ancient wallpaper,/ and
its pattern of darker
brown/ was like
wallpaper:/ Shapes like
full-blown roses/stained
and lost through age.”
Example 3
From Christina Rossetti’s “Flint”:
“An emerald is as green as grass,/ A ruby red as
blood;/ A sapphire shines as blue as heaven;/ A
flint lies in the mud.”
Example 4
From George Orwell’s “Shooting
an Elephant”:
“The elephant’s blood
poured out like red
velvet….”
Now it’s your turn…
Practice Exercises
You will now participate in a
series of exercises to
practice your
understanding of the
simile.
All of these tasks should be
completed on your own
paper and then turned
into your instructor as a
packet.
Let’s get started…
Practice Exercise 1:
Working with Pictures
Now that you have seen some examples of
effective similes, try to write some
yourself. In the next few screens, you will
be given a series of pictures; for each one,
record a simile on separate paper.
Here we go…
Picture 1
based on this picture…
Create a simile
Picture 2
describing what you see…
Create a simile
Picture 3
A
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On to Exercise 2…
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Practice Exercise 2:
Working with Music
Now that you have tried your simile skills
with pictures, you are ready to describe
some sounds.
Listen to this portion of Richard Wagner’s
Ride of the Valkyries and write down three
similes that come to mind. Ask yourself:
What does the music sound like?
Practice 2: Ride of the Valkyries
Here comes Exercise 3
When you have finished, continue to the next
exercise where you will write similes of your own
Practice Exercise 3:
Creating Similes
In this exercise, you will be given some
images with which you will create similes.
Fill in the blanks with something that
compares well with the image and
provides the reader with a vivid picture.
Record your answers on separate paper.
Here we go…
Practice 3: Finish the Simile
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Going to college is like________.
Marriage is like________.
Pets are like ________.
Religion is like ________.
Death is like ________
My mother walks like ________.
My father talks like ________.
On we go to Exercise 4…
Practice 4:
Finding & Explaining Similes
For this exercise, you will
be given short passages from
Pulitzer Prize Winning author,
Michael Cunningham’s A Home at
the End of the World. Find and
explain the similes in each,
identifying what they mean and
why they make sense. Record
your answers on a separate piece
of paper.
Passage 1
“He stepped off the
crowded curb with
the calm certainty of
a general. I, however,
tended to move like a
long apology.”
Passage 2
“Bobby looked too much like
a man who’d been in a
cartoon accident. He might
have had stars and planets
fluttering around his head.
You got the impression
that he was slightly crosseyed.”
Passage 3
“Bobby looked hungry as a stray dog, and just that sly and
dangerous. He sat at our table, wolfing roast chicken.
His hair was an electrified nest. He wore boots, and a
leather jacket decorated with a human eye worked in
faded cobalt thread.”
Almost done!
One more Exercise…
Practice 5:
Evaluating Similes
For your final practice exercise, you will be given a poem with
several similes. Your job is to provide at least three clear reasons
why these similes improve the poem’s impact on the reader.
Ask yourself these questions:
•What do the similes help me visualize?
•What would the poem be like without the similes?
•What overall effect does the poet want the poem to have
and how do the similes contribute to this effect?
Evaluating Similes
Dream Deferred
What happens to a dream
deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore-And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over-like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Langston Hughes
(1902-1967)
Now let’s see how you did…
Assessment
Now that you are almost finished with your
journey through the simile, it is time to show
what you know.
Let’s take a quiz…
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You and Your Simile
Simile Quiz
1) What word is likely to appear in a simile?
One answer only.
since
like
because
is
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2) What is the primary function performed by a simile?
One answer only.
informing
persuading
comparing
defining
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3) Which of the following is an example of a simile?
One answer only.
The king is a dictator.
Dogs are cute and cuddly.
The woman smiled from ear to ear.
She looked lke a Halloween witch.
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Let’s Continue…
Simile Quiz Continued
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You and Your Simile
1) What other word are you likely to find in a simile?
One answer only.
as
when
until
into
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2) Which of the following is NOT a simile?
One answer only.
I am as cold as ice.
The moon is a night light.
Her face was white like chalk.
Life is like a constant marathon.
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3) What does a simile do for a passage?
Record your answers on
separate paper, score them,
and then submit quiz to the
instructor.
One answer only.
helps describe
helps create a picture
helps reader relate to the images
all of the above
One more thing…
Metacognition
In a short paragraph, explain how and why
similes are effective for you. When you are
reading something with similes, how is
your experience enhanced or limited.
Do similes help you see and understand?
Submit the paragraph to your instructor.
Summary: The Final Word