Like a virgin
Metaphors and Similes
I write a lot of poetry. I’ve written so much that I haven’t gotten all of my poetry on this substack even though I’ve been putting the up here for almost two years.
One of the most important things I’ve learned about writing poetry and now songwriting is that the lyrical form is condensed. It needs to give meaning quickly. Many writers including myself use metaphors and similes.
Similes were taught in English writing when I was going to school. If this is a repeat, please forgive me. A simile uses “like” and “as” to compare two things. When a simile is used, it points to the writer or “character in the poem/story” as the one with that quality.
I use the simile “like a virgin” by Madonna. When she uses like in this song, she means that she is feeling and acting like a virgin. We know this instinctively.
Metaphors are a whole different animal. When you use a metaphor you are describing the quality of an object or thing (force of nature) with something else. It is the writer or character comparing the two things.
A good example is Elvis’ “Hound Dog.” He sings, “Your nothing but a hound dog/ howling all the time.” He is comparing the person to a wailing hound dog. He is not comparing himself to the hound dog. This is a disctinction that makes my writing better.
With metaphors there is even a formula— Adjective + noun or Adverb +verb.
For instance, you have two words “misty and rain.” You can use “Misty rain,” “Rain of mist,” or “Rain-mist” Any one of these are metaphors.
Another way would be a sentence— extended metahors even as in “He is the misty rain, slipping through the foggy shadows.”
Metaphors are very fun to play with if you like words and the sounds they make.
So remember, simile is talking about your or the character using like and as, metaphors are talking about another person or object. Plus both of these techniques can be used in fiction and non-fiction. I wouldn’t suggest that you use it in business communication though.
Many of the cliches today started out as metaphors and similes because people like them and it became a part of our speech.
If your metaphor becomes a “cliche,” don’t get upset because it is the highest form of flattery. We have a lot to thank Shakespeare.
I may have forgotten all this. I say "may" because in my world, nobody asks me if what I just said was a metaphor or a simile. But I use both in my speech and writing. I'm glad you posted this, because I'll likely forget the difference, but I'll use both. Much like Neanderthals had no idea about oxygen, but they still used it. I guess that makes me a Neanderthal communicator. Lol!