“My love is like a red, red rose,/That’s newly sprung in June.”
Correct! This example compares love to a rose using the word “like.”
Source: ~NTF_100411o, Lanyap, Flickr
A simile is a comparison of two things that are essentially different, usually using the words like or as. Let’s work on recognizing similes and then move on to explaining their effects. In the examples below, check the boxes that fit the definition of a simile.
“My love is like a red, red rose,/That’s newly sprung in June.”
“Time washed over me as though I were nothing more than a woman of sand.”
Correct! This example compares a person to sand using the word “as.”
“He stood looking up at her, the sun so bright on his blond hair that it seemed like a shining cap of silver.”
Correct! This examples compares sun on hair and a cap of silver and uses the word “like.”
“Her eyes are like her mother’s eyes.”
Try again. Although this example uses the word “like,” the two things being compared are the eyes of two people, not things that are essentially different. This is an example of description rather than a simile.
Source: Red rose, Peggy Greb, Wikimedia
So far, this is as easy as pie. Now you are ready to determine the effects produced by similes. One superpower that most of us wish we had is the ability to fly. Think of the simile as our soaring superhero because similes cause writing to soar to new heights of imagery and understanding.
Let’s return to our examples from above to analyze the effect of each simile. For instance, when Robert Burns writes, “O my love is like a red, red rose,/That’s newly sprung in June,” what exactly does he mean? What is the reader supposed to understand through Burns's use of this simile?
First, let’s look for the comparison. Burns is comparing the person he loves to a rose. Next, when he says in the second line, “That’s newly sprung in June,” we know the rose has just opened so he’s suggesting his love is fresh and beautiful. Because he repeats the name of the color, “a red, red rose,” we can infer that his love is vibrant and rich. When we put all of these pieces together, we could say this simile suggests he feels a strong emotion about a new or blossoming relationship.
It’s your turn to interpret the similes. Remember to first look at what is being compared, check to see if the words “like” or “as” are being used, and then interpret the comparison using textual clues. Do this for each question below, and then click to choose your answer from the list of options.
As you may have noticed, the key to figuring out the effect of a simile is to determine the quality that the simile suggests, such as the sun referring to shininess or a rose suggesting beauty. You will practice using this skill more in the next section on metaphors.