The storm howled and whined, driving the snow before it like giant breakers. A grey-black spume enveloped them, a raging cloud.... Instinctively, Per Hansa found himself peering through the murk, knitting his brows and squinting up his right eye--and old habit of his, born of the many times he had looked to see if the mast would hold!

A violent jerk came on his rope, so strong that he almost plunged forward. To save himself from being dragged off his sleigh he was forced to let go his hold.... "There goes Sam!" he muttered, grinding his teeth together.

The boat that he steered was behaving very badly; it wouldn't answer the helm; it didn't ride the swell like a seaworthy craft; it had no speed or power to lift itself over the rough waves. The oxen shambled and floundered along, veering before the wind; with every clumsy step they went more slowly; at last, with a great heave, they stood stock-still. Drawing their heads as far as they could into their short necks, they twitched their bodies a little, hunched their backs, and lowered their heavy rumps into the snow, to meet the force of the gale....

RECOGNIZE A METAPHOR.  Metaphor is a special kind of comparison that all of us use frequently. To be effective, it must be an appropriate comparison; it must suggest similar characteristics in two unlike objects or ideas.  For example , if you were asked to help choose a name for your Intramural team, would you consider Hippo, Anteater, or Snail?  Probably not.  But Wildcats might seem more acceptable, because it implies certain things about your team's ability, or at least their enthusiasm! This special kind of suggested or implied comparison is called metaphor.
USE THE EXTENDED METAPHOR.  A metaphor is an effective way of getting across a great deal of information in a few words.  The statement "Jack is tall," states only one fact.  But "Jack is a ball of fire" tells much more because it makes us think of a great many qualities.  In order to give a reader a broader understanding of the ideas compared,  you must select a metaphor that bears a logical comparison.  No metaphor can be effectively extended if the reader does not understand the first comparison made between the objects. If the metaphor is to render experience concrete for the reader,  it must be rooted in the real, the tangible.  Often the more difficult the subject, the more useful the metaphor can be. The success of the metaphor is measured by the understanding it gives its readers.

ASSIGNMENT: Think  of a subject that can be compared to something else by means of a metaphor.  Write the two subjects to be compared and then list at least three points of similarity ;  then extend the metaphor into a paragraph by developing it logically and clearly.