1.9 Literary Devices

A metaphor is a comparison between two different things.

Example: You are good person. (Ack! Here is the dreaded good.)

Try a metaphor instead…

 You are a shining star.

We think of stars as shiny and bright – as something high up and hard to attain. By comparing you to a star, it means you are the kind of person who shines in life. You are bright and brilliant. You are a person of high standards.  Readers get a strong visual and make connections with the word star.  You do not get this with the word good.

LH 95 star-forming region of the Large Magellanic Cloud by the European Space Agency via Wikipedia.