Why Use Similes?
The point of figurative language, consciously employed, is to enliven prose and to engage one’s audience. The fresh aspect of a new simile can bring focus to what is being expressed, as the reader or listener has to actively work out the meaning because it’s a) new and b) not literal. Here’s an example: • His steady gaze was like the rapt look of an eagle spotting its prey. or • His steady gaze was as rapt as the look of an eagle spotting its prey. In both these sentences the person’s “gaze” is being compared to the eagle’s look as it hunts. Though people and eagles are fundamentally different, a point of comparison has been found in the intensity and perhaps the deadly intention behind this particular gaze. When Similes Grow Old One problem is that when people are encouraged to enliven their writing with similes, they tend to choose existing similes that others have thought of and have become common in English. If this choice is made, the language will not have the benefit of being fr
