One of the most common and useful tools in public speaking is the figure of speech known as the simile. A simile uses like or as to compare two things. Truth uses a simile to conjure up the images of her strength and fortitude when she states “I could work as much and eat as much as a man—when I could get it—and bear the lash as well!”

Like similes, metaphors liken one thing to another, but in a literal way, even though there may be no literal connection between the two. A metaphor presents the comparison as a statement of fact—it does not contain the word like or as—but it is not expected to be taken as a fact. You might use a metaphor, such as “The fog was a heavy blanket over the city,” to add imagery to your speech.