Simile and Metaphor

Simile
A simile (/smli/) is a figure of speech that directly compares two things through the explicit
use of connecting words (such as like, as, so, than, or various verbs such as resemble). Although
similes and metaphors are sometimes considered to be interchangeable, similes acknowledge the
imperfections and limitations of the comparative relationship to a greater extent than metaphors.
Metaphors are subtler and therefore rhetorically stronger in that metaphors equate two things
rather than simply compare them. Similes also safeguard the author against outrageous,
incomplete, or unfair comparison. Generally, metaphor is the stronger and more encompassing of
the two forms of rhetorical analogies. While similes are mainly used in forms of poetry that
compare the inanimate and the living, there are also terms in which similes and personifications
are used for humorous purposes and comparison.
Examples:
1.)Grandpa lounged on the raft in the middle of the pool like an old battleship.
2.) If seen from above the factory, the workers would have looked like clock parts.
3.) The truth was like a bad taste on his tongue.
4.) Alans jokes were like flat soda to the children, surprisingly unpleasant.
5.) The bottle rolled off the table like a teardrop.
Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that identifies something as being the same as
some unrelated thing for rhetorical effect, thus highlighting the similarities between
the two. While a simile compares two items, a metaphor directly equates them, and
does not use "like" or "as" as does a simile.
Examples:

1.) She was fairly certain that life was a fashion show.
2.) The children were roses grown in concrete gardens, beautiful and forlorn.
3.) Kathy arrived at the grocery store with an army of children.
4.) Her eyes were fireflies.
5.) Johns answer to the problem was just a Band-Aid, not a solution.