Textbook discussions of figurative language tend to insist that similes and metaphors deepen a reader’s understanding of what they are describing. But if you look at how most writers employ similes and metaphors, they don’t so much deepen the meaning of what is being described as they change it. Much like you wouldn’t use an adjective or an adverb unless it changed the meaning of a given noun or verb, you wouldn’t use figurative language to say the same thing your literal language is saying.
Instead, figurative language is one of the best tools for writers who want to add emotional connotations, tone, and atmosphere, to a thing that might not otherwise have these features. Continue reading “A Simile is Like a Metaphor”