How metaphors and similes function in descriptive writing

Metaphors, Similes, Analogies

For most of us, a day without metaphors, similes and analogies is like a day without sunshine. For some of us, certain events or observations leave us at a loss for good descriptive words, and it is in those moments that a well-worn metaphor, simile or analogy is put to use. Specifically, a metaphor is a figure of speech in which an object or idea is used in place of the actual object or idea suggesting an analogy or likeness between the two. A simile compares two objects or ideas often using the word, like. Although some examples can appear to be trite, others can be used as powerful descriptive tools that speak to the unconscious mind by the use of symbols.

In some situations, a metaphor can relay a thought or information while using the fewest word possible. An example of this can be noted in the way my friend's father, Art, is often described. "He is a pillar of the community." He is, of course, not a block of marble, but in limited terms the idea of leadership is at once conveyed. His status as a pillar, however, came tumbling down at about eleven at night one week ago.

Art, often described by many as 'a pillar of the community,' was arrested last Friday night after police caught him driving like a bat out of hell down Elm Street. This was undoubtedly the darkest day of Art's life. Handcuffed and badly shaken, he was taken to the local cooler where he was left like so much flotsam until his old lady, Brandy, posted bond in the wee hours of the following morning. It is speculated that the reason Brandy took her sweet time in dragging her can to the cooler, is that Art had been up to his armpits with an enormous assortment of gold-digging girlfriends. Looking sheepish as he was released from a jail of metal bars and taken into the custody of his marital warden, the arrest undoubtedly clipped his wings, at least for the time being.