I really like extended metaphors. When done well, they tell you more about something, in terms of what you already know. They can also be affecting (a pedagogi

I really like extended metaphors. When done well, they tell you more about something, in terms of what you already know. They can also be affecting (a pedagogically oft-quoted example: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/171781 http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/171781). Another technique is reviving a dead metaphor, in which you extend a metaphor which has become a cliche, abstracted from its original concrete meaning. Like the word "dead". Both these techniques can be used as cheesy special effects, but when used well, they affect you without they themselves being noticed.