Figurative Language

Simile

A simile compares two very different things that have at least one quality in common. While similes are used in poetry principally for artistic effect, in formal writing they serve not only to increase interest but also to clarify an idea in an imaginative way.
Example: Even after the avalanche, the climbers remained constantly attentive to their goal, as a sunflower continues to stay focused on the sun.

Analogy

An analogy, like a simile, compares two different things by identifying points of similarity. The difference is that an analogy usually identifies several points of similarity and is created for the purpose of conceptual clarity.
Example: Flash memory chips work like a chalkboard, in that, when information is written on it, the information remains present even when the power is turned off. Only when the information is deliberately erased will it disappear. And like the chalkboard, flash memory can be written on and erased many times.

Metaphor

A metaphor, like a simile and analogy, compares two different things. The significant difference, though, is that a metaphor identifies the subject with the image. That is, instead of saying that the subject is like the image, a metaphor asserts that the subject is the image in some sense.
Example:
Simile: A good book is like a friend.
Metaphor: A good book is a friend.

 

*examples derived from Harris, Robert. "Writing with Clarity and Style." Pyrczak Publishing: L.A., 2003.