We need to draw a distinction here between what we might call the everyday use of figurative language and its use for special effect. As was said in the introduction to this chapter, we use figurative language all the time. It is actually quite difficult to write more than a few sentences without using some word or phrase that is not intended to be understood in its literal sense. If an expression like a cold heart or a word such as spadework best expresses your idea in a particular context, then you should go ahead and use it, bearing in mind the warnings about dead metaphors and clichés.Using figurative language for special effect is a rather different matter. The opportunities for writers of ordinary prose to use the kind of imagery that occurs on every page in Shakespeare's works is limited. If you are not writing to entertain your readers but principally to inform them, figurative devices are probably best reserved for occasions when you want to make a point particularly strongly—and when your inspiration is operating at a particularly high level. A powerful image will stand out in a passage of ordinary literal prose, and if the image is not powerful, then there is probably no point in using it at all. Above all, you should resist the temptation to use figurative language as a kind of decoration. Even in literary contexts, readers will soon weary of prose poetry, unless it is very well done:The Moon rose like a golden penny in a night as black as a magician's cape. The above sentence tells you very little about the Moon or the night or what is going on, but it tells you a lot about the writer's attitude and skill. Figurative devices should always serve a purpose, and their original purpose, it should be remembered, is to make unfamiliar things more intelligible. That original purpose may sometimes be modified. It is perfectly acceptable to use a telling image to make the reader look at a familiar object in a new way or to give what is being said greater emphasis. But merely prettifying your prose is not a serious or worthwhile purpose.Before we proceed with this discussion, however, let us briefly review the range of figurative devices available to the writer.
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