Similes Pro versus Con
 

Simile is the comparison of two unlike things using like or as. Related to metaphor

Example:
He eats like a pig. Vines like golden prisons.

Poets are fond of the use of similes to present the common place in a way that it is fresh and intriguing.

Poetry is, first of all, a communication - a thought or message conveyed by the writer to the reader. It is not only an act of creation, but an act of sharing. It is therefore important to the reader that he understands how the poet uses words, how he puts fresh vigor and new meaning into words. The reader's understanding is immeasurably increased if he is familiar with the many techniques or devices of poetry. Some of these are extremely simple; a few are rather elaborate.

The simplest and also the most effective poetic device is the use of comparison. It might almost be said that poetry is founded on two main means of comparing things: simile and metaphor. We heighten our ordinary speech by the continual use of such comparisons as "fresh as a daisy," "tough as leather," "comfortable as an old shoe," "it fits like the Paper on the wall," "gay as a lark," "happy as the day is long, pretty as a picture." These are all recognizable similes; they use the words "as" or "like."

PRO: Because of comparison and association, familiar objects become strange and glamorous. It might be said that a Poet is a man who sees resemblances in all things.


CON: Similes are also tired old cliche's. And what does "happy as the day is long" mean, anyhow? If its a day near winter solstice in the artic, that's not especially happy. Similes can be a crutch for those lacking in creativity. The use of a trite saying is not especially an instrument of compelling writing.

Bring back the metaphor! A metaphor is actually a condensed simile, for it omits "as" or "like." A metaphor establishes a relationship at once; it leaves more to the imagination. It is a shortcut to the meaning; it sets two unlike things side by side and makes us see the likeness between them. Emily Dickinson used comparison with great originality. She mixed similes and metaphors superbly in such poems as "A Book," "Indian Summer," and "A Cemetery." The first two lines of "A Book" compare poetry to a ship; the next two to a horse. But Emily Dickinson thought that the words "ship" and "horse" were too commonplace. The ship became a "frigate," a beautiful full-sailed vessel of romance; and the everyday "horse," the plodding beast of the field and puller of wagons, became instead a "courser," a swift and spirited steed, an adventurous creature whose hoofs beat out a brisk rhythm, "prancing" - like a page of inspired poetry.

Please omit all smilies from any replies.

Thank you.

Mari, your paean to the metaphor (which, I would argue, in addition to the sterling qualities you ascribe to it, can also lend a certain element of ambiguity to a comparison) has brought great joy to my otherwise gray and uneventful tax filing day.

Interestingly enough, my first literature teacher never brought out the difference like you did. I was thinking 'So?' during class back then. Didn't see much significance between the addition or lack of a 'like' or 'as'.

"...as you did..."

A simile is like a metaphor--but what a metaphor a simile can be! :-)

Once you've assimilated simile and metaphor, take a look at these.

And then this.

Well, I'm pleased my little re-write of the original essay made SOMEONE happy! You may be interested in the unedited version, as well.

Wish I could take full credit for it. It IS a nice bit of writing, isn't it?

What about similies?

I'd say the difference in effect of similies and metaphors is that a similie feels as if it makes a weaker assertion than a metaphor does. After all...if you find even one aspect in which A is "like" B, you've proven the simiie...while a metaphor almost defies you to find differences.

But I'll assert that there are tired old metaphoric cliches just as there are tired old similies.

"Tired old cliche" is both a tired old cliche itself, and redundant as well.

Fresh and original SIMILES are welcome, although the use of metaphor is preferred.

(At last, I get to be a spelling Nazi! ME! HA!)

I know! Let's come up with fresh and exciting cliche's! We could post our candidates here and come back in 20 years to see whose cliche' won. That's if we weren't too old and tired to care anymore.

Sorry...splitting my attention between the thread and a knotty programming problem. I stand [spelling] corrected.

OHGOODY GOODY GOODY!

WHAT EXCELLENT FUN!

Now--You're all so clever--start dazzling me!

(YAY!)

How 'bout Tony Harrison's Mark with a D? In this poem he compares his father's cremation with a loaf of bread being baked. That's pretty fresh. :D

This thread is da shizznit. Sorry, Comedy Central had that white rapper movie on last night.

How inspiring that in his hour of knead he was able to rise to the occasion. If only his dad hadn't made an ash of himself.

smilelies are emotitive

meta4whores are logic.

I try very hard not to like MaggieL. Sometimes, though, she just makes me laugh.

she makes me horny

Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana.

Similes are indeed often overused, resulting in tired cliches. Metaphores certainly make a stronger assertion in their description. However I like my recently-coined simile which I use to describe my teething daughter: she's drooling like a carsick cat.

Isn't that an oxynoron?

I thought a simile was just a metaphor using "like" or "as".;)

How about "a face like a goalie on a dart team"?

Ah, but, Grasshopper, you must read further:

Your analogy is quite brilliant, if I may say so. Fruit flies like a banana sounds like something Gomer Pyle might say until you listen to the subtext of the words. "Time flies AS an arrow" vs "Fruit flies AS a banana" is mere nonsense, but the play on words using "like" is quite clever.

I like you despite myself, Maggie.

But, tbh, mariachick, don' t you think that cloning threads here will unravel the very fabric of the cellar?

Wel, I can't take personal credit for that one; it's a classic illustration of the non-local nature of parsing English grammar often attributed to Marx.

Groucho, that is.

But then...

I cannot convey to you my relief upon reading these words. The lack of an adequate reading light within my dog has caused me any number of difficulties that I have been loathe to mention for fear of being targeted by a demonstration of naked PETA protesters. I am barely tolerated in my neighborhood as it is.

It is high time that science presents us with the transparent dog, so that we may hole up with our favorite book in the sanctity of Man's (and Woman's) Best Friend. Those of us with a creative bent might even scribble doggerel from such a place of refuge, and publishers would chase after with pooper scoopers to collect our witticisms.

I do believe that I am indeed the Queen of Flattened Fauna and my karma has run over my dogma at last. The hound of heaven that had been baying round my door now lies nickle thin in my driveway. A penny for my thoughts, indeed! It seems like they are a dime a dozen, now a days - "cloned", as some might have it.

@Jay McGee: Is this the part where I'm supposed to chant "Resistance is futile..." ?

Are you related to Simon, BTW? You seem to have an inordinate fascination with staying warm.

That's a crock of shit. You might as well use the enigma code, as a poem, for conveying a thought or message.

If I write a poem and you read it......you decide what my message was. How do you know if you're right? How do I know if the message you got is the one I meant?
If each reader of a poem takes away a different message, what they got from reading it, then it's not a communication...it's entertainment. :eyebrow:

OK, back to the similies....I feel better.

OOOOOOOH! There already was a clone thread for this! Haha! Good one!

"Possible cross-thread solution", she said doggedly.

Checkmate, Steve! THIS is the clone thread and YOU replied to it. Gottcha! :lol:

You're allowed to respond to clone threads! I think you mis-read what Flint posted that day a while back. Or he wasn't clear. He meant you don't have to respond, because they are mostly created for the quick chuckle, not for a stream of responses. But, any post that gets hits is a good post, to me. It's almost more fun if a clone thread does better than the original! Like this one probably will. :)

Oh, and i knew this was the clone thread. Look at the post I put on Flint's thread when I didn't realize this thread existed. You beat me to it!

Well, you folks need to get your rules straight! *pouts* Certain individuals have joined this board and proceeded to give us lectures about our verbose posting style; denounced the use of our beloved collection of smilies, gathered just for us by the tireless UT; insinuated that we are either a bunch of meanies trying to be big shots on the Cellar; or if we're nice, calling us "helpie helpertons."

We have also been lectured about the WAY THINGS ARE DONE on other message boards and been told that certain individuals aren't going to change their posting style just for US. After all, its just the Internet, right?

Well, if its "just the Internet", why all the lecturing, hmmm? Why not just make one sentence posts, avoid the use of smilies, clone to your heart's content, and put the folks who have difficulty with these things on "ignore"?

That way, we could all get on with our lives and avoid these tedious discussions over the correct way to post to a message board.

Now that the first shock has worn off, I actually find the concept of clone threads amusing, and using @ to direct a post at someone can be a convenient form of shorthand at times. Maybe I'm the only "ancient" who has made such strides in evolution, but even this small sign of progress should cheer you somewhat.

So, why don't we move on to other things? And welcome to the Cellar. ;)

Feel better now?

Better than what? Better than a fried egg? Better than a polar bear? Every day in every way, I'm getting better and better?

Should I rate my feelings on a scale of 1 - 110? I know! I could post a poll on how much (or less) better I feel at the moment!

I'm getting silly. I'll feel better if I go lay down inside my dog with a nice book and read myself to sleep. Yeah. Think I'll go do that.

All I can say is... I can not believe you cloned a thread! I shall alert UT and have you banned!!

;)

Oh wait... "lay down inside my dog" how does one do this??

brucie-pie, with poetry some readings are more defendable than others. Some opinions are "more correct" (HA!) Ya know?:cool:

You had to have been there. ;)

These are "parody threads", not clones, which would be identical.

There's nothing downright wrong with them, but most of the time they go over flatly. "Hey guys I just thought of a pun!" "Right."

However it is most revealing that this parody thread got more and smarter attention than the original. It speaks to what we pay attention to and how you build your reputation here.

"Here" or in any situation with human beings?

People are people, no matter "where" you are.

But you have to build your reputation separately in every new environment.

Yes, you have to build your reputation "here" or anywhere else, I just said that.

That's such a wonderful point, Flint, I can almost hear your reputation growing now. It's posts like that which really bring your thinking out in a way which people respect. People will surely read your threads now, it is obvious that they are not a waste of everyone's time. Good work man.

Could you put a SMILIE on that post?

I don't know what people mean without an animated cartoon face to explain it.

Advanced irony - the hits just keep on comin'. This is clearly what drives traffic to a message board: dynamic personality by the boatload! It's all about the Flinter! I want to party with you man!

Feed him an unplucked goose.

Some folks are so obsessed with "humanity" as a repository of all good and desirable traits (and apparently subject to conveniently variable definition) that I'm beginning to suspect they may be alien fanboys sent here in a vain attempt to discover what humanity actually is. Somehow, whatever they do is offered as evidence of their humanity, and whatever they don't like about you is clear evidence that you aren't human.

People are still just people, for better or worse, when they log on to the internet. Whatever you've learned in your life which applies to human nature is perfectly applicable on any website. There aren't any special exceptions on the internet for typical bad human behavior such as conclusion-jumping. There aren't any special rewards on the internet for typical good human behavior such as treating people with respect. Humanity isn't "good" or "bad" - it simply is what it is. Each human being is equally as valid as any other.

What on earth could the attribute "valid" possibly mean when applied to a person? If it makes you feel good to be "valid", go right ahead, but...

@Maggie: You're really reaching for that appearance of disagreement there. It's clear that our posts actually state the same concept, IE every person is valid - It is a baseline quality, therefore it doesn't "mean" anything in relative terms.

@UT: We really do need a dead horse emoticon!

Ah!

Here it is :)


http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/shared/smilies/deadhorse.gif

It's not clear to me.
Here we see "baseline qualities"--equal in every person--that have meaning. Some of Jefferson's contemporaries would have held that not all men are created equal. His statement conveys meaning, even though it asserts that these qualities are inherent in all people. (Of course in practice he fell short of honoring it where his slaves were concerned.)

But what does your assertion "every person is valid" mean?

Do any of the above meanings apply to your assertion? Or have you invented a new one?

:dedhorse:

:dedhors2:

@UT: That's a good one! It looks like a "Southpark" horse! (#1)

EDIT: Holy crap! Are they eating the dead horse?! (#2)

i saw this one, but he looks more like a lazy horse and he needs long mule ears. ;)


this one: never heard of "eating a dead horse" unless of course one is talking "Farm Porn"

ewwww!

Ah, but there's a difference between a dead horse and a red herring.

"I don't actually have an answer so I'll claim that we agree and accuse you of beating a dead horse." is a red herring.

Great! Now, I'm going to be thinking about rotten fish for the rest of the day!

@Maggie: Since you're so good at specifiying exactly what things are called, can you give me a catch-phrase to describe what you're doing? (you know, attempting to create conflict out of thin air, when you know perfectly well what the other person means)

The definition I am using for valid is "having a legitimate basis".

I wanna know how come women can have multiple multiple orgasims,.... while i'm good for 2 to 15 minutes, and then its nighty night.

You people can argue all you want, but lay off the damn horses. :mad:

Precisely my point....if you have to defend the message you got from a poem, it's sure not a communication....it's a damn puzzle. :p

Kiss me, bruce!

But I don't "know perfectly well what you mean".

In fact, I suspect you emitted a string of words thinking it actually meant something when in fact it doesn't...and I have prompted you to elaborate on its meaning in the hope you may finally come to realize it has none. While it may have given you a nice warm relativist feeling to say it, it's semantically null.

So...when you say "all people are valid" you mean "all people have a legitimate basis". Thanks for clearing that up. Is it possible you're fond of saying "all people are valid" because it serves as a handy excuse for doing whatever you like? Nobody can challenge your point of view, because your "validity" is implictly equal to theirs, and you "have a legitimate basis".

Whatever that means.