Literary Elements: Similes vs. Metaphors
Simile: comparisons that use the words "like" or "as"
Metaphor: comparisons that do not use the words "like" or "as"
Metaphor: comparisons that do not use the words "like" or "as"
Examples in the Text
Examples of Similes:
“On Sunday,
winds came, bringing a red dust, like prairie fire" (p. 46) "I watched the plants, surviving after so much drought and so much wind, I watched them fry, or flatten, or blow away, like bits of cast-off rags" (p. 31) "That quarter inch of rain did wonders for Ma, too, who is ripe as a melon these days" (p. 55) |
Examples of Metaphors:“She’s an old mule on the subject of my schooling"
(p. 10) "[...] and my breath is nothing but apple" (p. 45 ) "Ma had been tumbleweed too, holding on for as long as she could, then blowing away on the wind” (p. 202) |
Next time you read, keep a look out for examples of similes and metaphors!