Figures of Speech Simile

Figures of Speech Simile

Simile is a figure of speech directly comparing two dissimilar things with the help of as, like, so, as, as-so, such,similarly, as if etc. (as, like, so, as, as-so, such,similarly, as if দ্বারা তুলনা বোঝালেই সেইটা Simile)

The Essential Elements of Simile:

1. Comparison: A simile compares two unlike things. It highlights a similarity between them. For instance, “as brave as a lion” or “like a bolt of lightning.“
2. Use of “Like” or “As”: The words “like” or “as” are used to draw the comparison explicitly. For example, “He runs as fast as a cheetah” or “She sings like an angel.”
3. Visual or Descriptive Impact: Similes are used to create vivid images or convey specific meanings. They often help the reader or listener better understand or visualize the subject by connecting it to something more familiar.

Read More: Literary Term Play

1. Enhancing Imagination: Similes can evoke emotions, create emphasis, or add depth to descriptions. They serve to make writing more engaging and colorful.
2. Clarity: Similes can help clarify complex ideas by comparing them to something simpler or more familiar, aiding in comprehension.  

Functions of Simile: Similes serve several functions in language and literature.

1. Comparisons: Similes compare two things, using “like” or “as” to highlight similarities or features. For instance, “as brave as a lion” or “like a needle in a haystack.”
2. Vivid Imagery: They arouse vivid mental images by connecting unfamiliar or abstract concepts to more familiar ones. This makes descriptions more colorful and relatable. For example, “as clear as crystal” or “swift as a gazelle.”
3. Emphasis: Similes can emphasize certain qualities or characteristics by likening them to something more known or striking. For instance, “as cold as ice” emphasizes extreme coldness, while “as loud as thunder” highlights a loud noise.
4. Evoke Emotions: They can evoke specific emotions or moods by drawing parallels between the known and the unknown. For example, “as happy as a clam” or “like a knife through butter” evoke happiness and ease, respectively.
5. Engagement: Similes engage readers by making descriptions more imaginative and engaging. They can make writing more interesting and help readers visualize or understand the subject better.

Examples: কোন দুইটি বিষয়ের মধ্যে বিশেষ করে As,Like,Compare দিয়ে তুলনা করা হয়েছে, তা বের করতে হবে। 

Read More: Literary Term Epic

1. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.’’ (William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 18’’) Compare

Explanation: This is an iconic Simile from Shakespeare’s (1564-1616) Sonnet 18, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”. Here the poet drawn the comparison between his friend with the summer’s day. Shakespeare uses the word compare not as or like. The function of this simile is to describe the enduring beauty of the poet’s friend. (এখানে আমরা দেখতে পাই কবি thee (বন্ধু) কে summer’s day এর সাথে তুলনা করেছেন। আশা করি এর পর থেকে আপনারা খুব সহজেই Simile খুঁজে বের করতে পারবেন।) 

2. Thy soul was like a star that dwelt apart. (Wordsworth, London, 1802) like

Explanation: This is an evergreen simile from William Wordsworth’s (1770-1850) poem “London 1802”. Here, the poet directly compares Milton’s soul with a star using the word like. The function of the simile is to make the reader understand that Milton’s soul is much like a star.  (আপনি চাইলে আরও ২/১ লাইন লিখতে পারেন। তবে এই টুকুই যথেষ্ট।)

3. The holy time is quiet as a nun. (Wordsworth, It is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free) as

Explanation: It is an example of simile. This simile is taken from William Wordsworth’s (1770-1850) poem “It is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free”. The poet uses the word as to show the comparison between nun and time. The function of the simile is to make the reader understand that the condition of holy time is like a nun. 

4. And life is too much like a pathless wood. (Robert Frost, Birches) like

Explanation: It is an example of simile. Here, Robert Frost compares life with pathless wood using “Like”. The function of the simile is to make the reader understand that, life is like a pathless wood. 

Read More: Figures of Speech Anti-Climax

5. Her locks were yellow as gold. (Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner) as

Explanation: The figure of speech used here is Simile. Here, locks are directly compared with gold using the word as. Coleridge says that the colour of the locks was yellow. The function of the simile is to make the reader understand the colour of her locks, which were yellow. 

Previous Years Questions and Solutions

NTRCA Exam- (2005,07,17) As

1. I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd, 

Explanation: In the underlined line, the poet has used Similie. Here, the poet directly compares loneliness with cloud using the word as. The function of the simile is to make the reader understand the poet’s loneliness. 

NTRCA Exam (2008,14) As

1. Fear at my heart, as at a cup,

My life-blood seemed to sip. 

Explanation: This is an example of a simile. Here, the poet compares a heart with a cup using the word as. The function of the simile is to make the reader understand the condition of the poet’s heart. 

NTRCA Exam (2009) like

1. And this grey spirit of yarning in desire 

To follow knowledge like a sinking star, 

Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.

Explanation: This is an instance of simile. Here a direct comparison is made between “knowledge” and “star” using the word of comparison “like”. The function of this simile is to stir the reader’s imagination of how the speaker follows knowledge.

2. Life, like a dome of many-coloured glass, 

Stains the white radiance of Eternity 

Until Death tramples it to fragments.

Explanation: This is an instance of simile. Here “life” is directly compared to a “dome” of much-coloured glass with the help of the word of comparison “like”. The function of this simile is to explain the meaning of life.

NTRCA Exam (2010) As

1. The child shows the man, as morning shows the day.

Explanation: This is an instance of simile. Here, “child” is directly compared to “morning” with the help of a word of comparison, “as”. The function of this simile is to explain the nature of a child.

NTRCA Exam- (2011) “like

1. “When the evening is spread out against the sky 

Like a patient etherized upon a table.”

Explanation: This is an example of simile. Here, a direct comparison is made between two different things, an “evening” and a “patient,” by using the word “like”. The function of this simile is to make the reader understand the condition of the evening.

NTRCA Exam- (2018)  like 

Glory is like a circle in the water 

Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself. (King Henry VI, Shakespeare)

Explanation: This is an example of simile. Here a direct comparison is made between two different things, “glory” and a “circle in the water,” by using the word “like”. The function of this simile is to make the reader understand the nature of glory.

NTR Exam- (2019) Like

The Champak odours fail 

Like Sweet thoughts in a dream. (“The Indian Serenade”, Shelley) 

Explanation: This is an example of simile. Here, a direct comparison is made between two different things, “Champak odours” and “Sweet thoughts” by using the word “like”. The function of this simile is to share the speaker’s feelings with the readers.

Read More: Definition of Literary Terms

NTRCA Exam- (17th) Like

1. Character is like a tree and reputation its shadow. The shadow is 

what we think it is and the tree is the real thing.

Explanation: This is an example of simile. Here, a direct comparison is made between two different things, a “Character” and a “tree,” by using the word “like”. The function of this simile is to share the speaker’s feelings with the readers.