Similes can make descriptions more vivid. Examine how similes improve this sentence:
Jaleen ran fast in the race.
Jaleen ran as fast as a cheetah in the race.
Jaleen ran like a cheetah in the race.
(The similes as fast as a cheetah and like a cheetah give the reader a more vivid sense of how fast Jaleen ran.)
Jaleen ran fast in the race.
Jaleen ran as fast as a cheetah in the race.
Jaleen ran like a cheetah in the race.
(The similes as fast as a cheetah and like a cheetah give the reader a more vivid sense of how fast Jaleen ran.)