Notes on Simile and Metaphor from The Poet's Companion
Simile and Metaphor: Study Notes
Overview of figurative language
We live in a figurative world; language and thinking are largely metaphorical. We continually make comparisons and connections, often subconsciously.
Poetry relies on fresh, surprising figures of speech rather than clichéd expressions. Ordinary similes like "Love is a rose" are common but not necessarily effective in poetry.
Effective metaphors and similes deepen meaning by casting a new angle on an idea or experience. Example from the text: the suggestion to revise a familiar metaphor to something more vivid, such as a stronger line from C. D. Wright or Charles Bukowski.
The goal is to awaken the reader’s imagination; good metaphors and similes energize and broaden understanding rather than merely decorate the line.
The Toxic Language Dump and the writer’s discernment
Writers should recognize and discard phrases that weaken a poem. The "Toxic Language Dump" is a concept for those clichés and stale expressions to avoid.
A good poet can spot lines that deserve to be dumped and replace them; lesser poets leave them in.
Memorable, visceral imagery can become a lifelong touchstone, e.g., Norman Dubie’s line: "The cancer ate her like horse piss eats deep snow"—a striking image that resonates long after reading.
Figurative language is more than a gadget; it shapes the poem’s meaning and emotional impact.
Sharon Olds: Feared Drowned (simile as a core expressive tool)
Olds is described as having a prolific, almost machine-like production of similes, used to anchor emotional states and scenes.
Key lines and effects in Feared Drowned:
Imagery of fear and proximity to danger, e.g., "your suit black as seaweed" and "your bearded head slick as a seal's".
The chain of visual details builds a vivid scene along the shore: the edge of the water, the towel clutched like a widow's shawl, swimmers’ varying appearances, rocks like heads, kelp like a shed black suit.
The similes reinforce the speaker’s anxiety and help readers identify with it; they’re not mere cleverness but essential to meaning.
The poem’s imagery advances the emotional state: fear, search, and the tension of possible loss.
The ending and shift of perspective:
The line "Once you lose someone" shifts the you from the specific partner to a universal reader, turning a private experience into a shared one.
The final lines invite readers to reflect on loss themselves.
Rhythm and sound:
Repetition and rhythm in phrases like "TOO SHORT, TOO HEAVY, CLEAN-SHAv-en" (emphasis achieved by line breaks and cadence).
Simile vs metaphor in Olds:
Similes often anchor concrete images; metaphors can permeate an entire poem or major sections.
Olds’s piece demonstrates how a single theme (loss) can be explored through a network of similes that become a metaphorical framework.
Takeaway: use figurative language to access new vocabularies and energies associated with a theme; expand beyond surface comparisons.
The role of figurative language in interpretation and revision
After drafting, examine how figurative language functions: does it stay literal, or could it be expanded with more simile/metaphor?
Consider whether a chosen comparison directs the poem toward an unintended meaning or tone (e.g., turning a serious moment into humor).
Figurative language can reveal deeper connections or illuminate aspects of experience not accessible through literal description alone.
The vocabulary that accompanies a figure (e.g., terms associated with a chosen image) can broaden energy and depth in the poem.
Jack Gilbert’s explorations of grief through metaphor and simile
Poems: Finding Something; Michiko Dead
Finding Something
Opening image and metaphor: "I say moon is horses in the tempered dark" suggests a journey or passage toward death, using a wild, expansive image to frame grief.
Setting: on a terrace near a blue sea and a ferry crossing islands; Michiko is dying nearby; the speaker imagines proximity to her even as separation remains.
The line "Michiko is dying in the house behind me" grounds the poem in a harsh, literal reality amid lyrical metaphor.
Imagery of the arches of her feet as voices of children and the heart’s helplessness creates a fusion of physical and emotional landscapes.
The metaphor of a ferried soul across the water to the next island appears as a motif, linking everyday setting with mythic undertones.
The poem uses simile to build a single, cohesive emotional experience rather than a chain of discrete images.
Michiko Dead
Central conceit: grief as a burden carried like a box that cannot be put down.
The progression of carrying the box: starting with arms beneath, then shifting hands to corners and chest, using different muscles, until the box rests on the shoulder while the arm goes numb.
The body and the heart are in an ongoing state of weightiness; the line “The heart is never finished with grief” anchors the speaker’s perpetual burden.
The box may symbolize memory, the coffin, or ashes—whatever holds the memory of the lost person.
The poem also weaves a broader mythic resonance: the ferry to an island, the sense that Michiko’s journey toward death is a voyage with a destination beyond the living world.
The final image links the private, intimate grief to a universal human experience: loss alters perception of life and those we’ve lost.
Thematic and formal takeaways from Gilbert’s pieces:
Grief as a tangible, physical burden can be portrayed through concrete, escalating actions with the body.
Similes and extended metaphor create an emotional map that readers can follow intimately.
The interplay of the concrete scene (house, ferry, island) with mythic or symbolic implications deepens the sense of meaning.
Archeology as a metaphor for writing (Pollitt’s Archeology)
Central idea: "Our real poems are already in us and all we can do is dig".
Pollitt imagines the poet as archaeologist, finding potential poems in the rubble of experience and memory.
The poem’s narrative voice: you recognize the odds of failure from the start yet continue digging, driven by impulse and dream of discovery.
The imagery of excavation:
Heatstruck plains of a second-rate country; buried cities; chipped beads; shards of glass and pottery; broken tablets.
The possibility that discovered fragments might be nothing more than ordinary remnants (daily life rather than glorious discoveries).
The turn to poetic creation:
The digging becomes a metaphor for composing poems, revising, and refining until a vivid, imagined world is fully formed.
The “random rubble” yields: a dusty market, streets, palmy gardens, wells, and figures such as strong veiled women carrying jars, which become the language and imagery of poetry.
Practical implications for writing:
Start with a rough, uncertain input; keep digging and extending metaphors to reveal deeper parallels and implications.
Don’t fear clumsy or awkward early language; patience and revision are essential.
Ideas for writing with simile and metaphor (from the IDEAS FOR WRITING section)
Prompt 1: Learn from samples, then complete unfinished similes; aim for unexpected, fresh connections.
Examples provided (as prompts to complete or extend):
"Her breasts like white wolves' heads / sway and snarl." — Sharon Olds
"The baled wheat scattered everywhere like missing coffins" — Carolyn Forché
"Her body is not so white as / anemone petals nor so smooth-nor / so remote a thing." — William Carlos Williams
"Loneliness spreading / fast like a gas fire" — Frances Mayes
"A gull is locked like a ghost in the blue attic of heaven." — Charles Wright
Additional prompts: incomplete similes such as "tired as…", "hot as…", "waves unfurled like…" etc.
Prompt 2: Explore a reversal or twist in a simile, following the joke about teeth like stars, and Atwood’s line:
You fit into me / like a hook into an eye
Then reversal: a fish hook / an open eye
Exercise: dream up similes that reverse direction or surprise reader expectations.
Prompt 3: Write a disturbing experience using unified similes (take Feared Drowned as a model for unity of image); then write a second poem on the same experience using as many different similes as possible (vary the comparisons: It was like… Or else it was like…).
Prompt 4: Describe an activity (cleaning, fishing, painting, bathing a child, dancing, cooking) that could serve as a metaphor for your life or your way of being in the world.
Prompt 5: Using Archaeology as a model, reflect on your own poem-writing process: choose a metaphor for your process (e.g., building a bridge, falling off a cliff, baking bread, a voyage); list vocabulary tied to that metaphor; then write a poem using those words.
Prompt 6: Write a seven-to-ten-line poem with an abstract title (e.g., Loneliness, Fear, Desire, Ecstasy, Greed, Suffering, Pleasure). Make the poem a metaphor for the title without stating the abstraction outright in the poem. Use a length constraint: lines.
Prompt 7: Write a "negative simile" poem: It wasn’t like… (a negated or inverted comparison).
Prompt 8: Write a poem that uses a simile or metaphor that extends for at least five lines.
Prompt 9: Take an older poem of yours and add at least three new similes or metaphors.
Key terms and concepts to remember
Simile: A figure of speech that makes a comparison using connectors such as like, as, or other linking words.
Metaphor: A figure of speech that states one thing is another, without using connecting words.
Figurative language’s purpose: to reveal new connections, create vivid imagery, and express complex emotional states.
Toxic Language Dump: a repository don’t-use list of clichés that can dull or deaden a poem’s impact.
Extended metaphor: when a single metaphor runs through an entire poem or large section, shaping its meaning.
Archeology metaphor for writing: the act of uncovering hidden or latent material within memory and experience to craft new forms of poetry.
Quick comparative notes
Simile vs. metaphor: Simile uses connectors (like, as) to compare; metaphor asserts that one thing is another.
Both can coexist in a poem; a single work can weave discrete similes and overarching metaphors to enhance meaning.
The effect of strategic figurative language: builds mood, clarifies emotional states, and guides readers to connect personal experience with broader human concerns.
Real-world relevance and implications
Understanding figurative language helps in analyzing poems and writing with intention and originality.
The craft of choosing fresh, precise, and vivid images matters for emotional impact and reader resonance.
Philosophical angle: poetry often seeks to reveal how we perceive reality through language; figurative language exposes how language constructs experience as much as it depicts it.
Quick revision checklist (for drafts)
Are the primary images helping to illuminate the central theme or emotion?
Do any similes rely on clichés? If so, can they be revised to new, sharper images?
Is there an overarching metaphor that could unify the piece (even if not explicitly stated)?
Have I considered the rhythm and sound of the figurative language when read aloud?
Have I avoided turning serious moments into unintended humor through misapplied simile/metaphor?
Summary takeaway
Figurative language—especially well-crafted similes and metaphors—should illuminate and energize a poem, expanding what is possible to say about experience while inviting readers into a shared, vivid imaginative space.
Simile and Metaphor: Study Notes
Overview of figurative language
We live in a figurative world; language and thinking are largely metaphorical, often subconsciously making comparisons.
Poetry relies on fresh, surprising figures of speech to deepen meaning, rather than clichéd expressions. Effective metaphors and similes cast new angles on ideas or experiences.
The goal is to awaken the reader’s imagination, energizing and broadening understanding.
The Toxic Language Dump and the writer’s discernment
Writers should recognize and discard clichés and stale expressions that weaken a poem, as these belong in a "Toxic Language Dump."
Memorable, visceral imagery, like Norman Dubie’s line: "The cancer ate her like horse piss eats deep snow," can become a lifelong touchstone.
Figurative language is fundamental to a poem’s meaning and emotional impact.
Sharon Olds: Feared Drowned (simile as a core expressive tool)
Olds uses similes prolifically to anchor emotional states and scenes, building a vivid narrative of fear and proximity to danger.
Examples like "your suit black as seaweed" and "your bearded head slick as a seal's" reinforce anxiety and create reader identification.
The poem shifts from a specific partner to a universal reader ("Once you lose someone"), transforming private experience into a shared reflection on loss.
Olds demonstrates how a single theme (loss) can be explored through a network of similes that function as a metaphorical framework.
The role of figurative language in interpretation and revision
After drafting, analyze how figurative language functions: whether it stays literal or can be expanded.
Ensure comparisons direct the poem toward intended meaning and tone, avoiding unintended humor.
Figurative language reveals deeper connections and illuminates aspects of experience not accessible through literal description.
The specific vocabulary accompanying a figure can broaden energy and depth in a poem.
Jack Gilbert’s explorations of grief through metaphor and simile
Finding Something
Uses opening metaphor ("moon is horses in the tempered dark") to suggest a journey toward death, framing grief with wild, expansive imagery.
Grounds lyrical metaphor with harsh reality ("Michiko is dying in the house behind me").
Employs the metaphor of a ferried soul across water, linking everyday settings with mythic undertones.
Simile builds a single, cohesive emotional experience.
Michiko Dead
Central conceit: grief as a tangible burden carried like a box that cannot be put down, progressing through different physical actions.
The poem emphasizes perpetual burden: “The heart is never finished with grief.”
The box symbolizes memory, coffin, or ashes, holding the lost person’s memory.
Weaves mythic resonance (ferry to an island) to suggest Michiko's journey beyond the living world.
Links private grief to universal human experience: loss alters perception.
Thematic and formal takeaways from Gilbert’s pieces:
Grief as a physical burden can be portrayed through concrete, escalating actions.
Similes and extended metaphor create an intimate emotional map.
Interplay of concrete scene with mythic implications deepens meaning.
Archeology as a metaphor for writing (Pollitt’s Archeology)
Central idea: "Our real poems are already in us and all we can do is dig."
The poet is an archaeologist, finding potential poems in experience and memory's rubble, recognizing failure odds yet driven by discovery.
Imagery of excavation includes: heatstruck plains, buried cities, chipped beads, shards of glass and pottery, broken tablets.
Discovered fragments might be ordinary remnants, not glorious finds.
Poetic creation: digging metaphors for composing, revising, and refining until a vivid, imagined world is formed from "random rubble."
Practical implications for writing:
Start with rough input; extend metaphors to reveal deeper parallels.
Patience and revision are essential; don’t fear clumsy early language.
Key terms and concepts to remember
Simile: Comparison using "like," "as," or other linking words.
Metaphor: States one thing is another without connecting words.
Figurative language’s purpose: Reveal new connections, create vivid imagery, express complex emotional states.
Toxic Language Dump: Don’t-use list of clichés that dull a poem.
Extended metaphor: Single metaphor running through an entire poem or major section.
Archeology metaphor for writing: Uncovering hidden material within memory and experience.
Quick comparative notes
Simile vs. metaphor: Simile uses connectors; metaphor asserts one thing is another.
Both can coexist, weaving discrete similes and overarching metaphors to enhance meaning.
Strategic figurative language builds mood, clarifies emotional states, and guides readers to connect personal experience with broader human concerns.
Real-world relevance and implications
Understanding figurative language aids in analyzing poems and writing with intention and originality.
Crafting fresh, precise, vivid images is crucial for emotional impact.
Philosophical angle: Figurative language reveals how we perceive reality and how language constructs experience.
Quick revision checklist (for drafts)
Do primary images illuminate the central theme?
Are similes clichéd? Can they be revised?
Is there an overarching metaphor unifying the piece?
Have rhythm and sound of figurative language been considered?
Have misapplied similes/metaphors been avoided to prevent unintended humor?
Summary takeaway
Well-crafted similes and metaphors illuminate and energize a poem, expanding expression and inviting readers into a shared, vivid imaginative space.
The note emphasizes how figurative language, particularly similes and metaphors, is fundamental to both everyday thought and effective poetic expression. It highlights that fresh, surprising figures of speech are crucial for deepening meaning, awakening a reader's imagination, and conveying complex emotional states, contrasting them with clichéd expressions that weaken a poem (the "Toxic Language Dump"). Through examples from poets like Sharon Olds and Jack Gilbert, it illustrates how precise and unified figurative language can explore profound themes such as fear, loss, and the nature of grief, transforming personal experiences into universal ones. The text also presents writing itself as an archaeological process, where poets "dig" for latent material to craft new forms. Ultimately, the book teaches that understanding and skillfully employing figurative language is essential for analyzing poetry, writing with intention