Images and metaphors are used in writing to enhance descriptions. Images use sensory cues to inform readers, while metaphors compare two dissimilar elements. Both techniques help readers form mental representations of what is being discussed. Using detailed imagery gives readers a better way of imagining the topics of the text they are reading, while metaphors can be powerful ways to describe characters.
Image and metaphor are two different ways things can be described or illuminated. The term “images” refers to the description of a person, place or object using the five senses. The term “metaphor” refers to comparing two dissimilar elements without using “like” or “like”, which are used in similes. Images and metaphor are commonly used in both fiction and non-fiction to enhance author descriptions. Like many other explanatory techniques, the more effectively authors use images and metaphors in their writing, the easier it becomes for their readers to form a mental representation of what is being discussed.
In all types of writing, images are used to describe and illuminate so that readers can more easily form mental images about what they are reading. The images rely on sensory cues from all five senses to inform readers. A description of a dog as “large, mean-looking and loud barking” uses the senses of sight and sound, and images referring to bad ocean water as “cold, salty and putrid” use touch , taste and smell. Metaphors are sometimes a type of imagery when they convey sensory information about a subject. Imagery and metaphor can both help enhance an author’s descriptions.
It is useful for writers to use images in their writing, mostly because it gives the reader a much better way of imagining the topics of the text they are reading. The writer might use a phrase like “They entered the city” to describe what the characters did, but that wouldn’t give the reader enough detail to create a rich mental picture of the scene. On the other hand, the author might say, “Quietly in the middle of the night, they snuck into the tight-knit little town with its unique post office, quaint buildings, and old-fashioned customs.” The second example provides a much more detailed narrative about the city the characters are visiting.
Metaphors figuratively describe one thing as actually another, using a type of comparison to illustrate how two seemingly different things are actually similar in some way. Similes, as opposed to metaphors, use “like” or “like” to describe and compare. Sometimes, metaphors can be less direct and require more thought than imagery. For example, if an author said that “American democracy is still in its infancy,” you would need to use your reasoning skills to figure out exactly what that implied. Metaphors can be powerful ways to describe characters. To say that a character is a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” implies that he is mean, unreliable, and possibly violent, even though he seems kind and harmless.
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