Simile

The comparison is a word character, which is generated by the approach or contrastive juxtaposition of two objects or pictures in order to increase clarity and effectiveness of a thought.

As the metaphor is based on similarity of the comparison, which is given in a common third parties ( point of comparison ); Therefore, there is also the since Quintilian common definition of metaphor as " condensed comparison ". In contrast to the metaphor the comparison is based on a direct equating its relata, the ( "how", "when " ) is provided by a particle of comparison.

Examples: "She is as beautiful as the young morning. " "She's faster than him ."

Is the similarity on which the comparison is based, conventional ( ' brave as a lion '), the older rhetoric spoke of a similitudo ( modern: analogy ); it is non- conventionally, by a dissimilitudo. Through a narrative Kontinuation a comparison results in a parable. Frequent comparisons in literature and poetry are those of animals and humans, of natural objects and moral goods, persons and moral objects from natural objects and objects of art, of Big to Small or wee on Large ( synekdochetischer comparison).

Furthermore, to distinguish between two types of comparisons. Firstly, there are homogeneous comparisons, which are to be made between benchmarks that are to locate in one and the same reality space. An example is the comparison " Anna is as smart as Sarah " to name. Both benchmarks are assigned to one and the same reality space. On the other hand, a distinction heterogeneous comparisons in which the comparison variables from different fields of reality come. With the example " He sleeps like a log " is clarified that a comparison between two variables is made ​​, the different areas of reality (people, wildlife ) are attributable.