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Definition of Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like" or "as," but can also... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often... read full definition
Key Examples in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Chapter 1, Part 2
Explanation and Analysis—The Dog:
Dogs and other animals often appear in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man as symbols of the lowly physical realm (in contrast to the quasi-spiritual realm of high art). In Chapter 1, Part 2, the narrator uses a simile to describe the eyes of a large black dog:
He saw the dark. Was it true about the black dog that walked there at night with eyes as big as carriage lamps? They said it was the ghost of a murderer.
Related Themes:
Chapter 3, Part 2
Explanation and Analysis—Stephen's Mind:
Joyce often uses colorful similes to describe Stephen's thought processes. In Chapter 3, Part 2, Stephen's mind becomes a flame-filled "tenement":
Unlock with LitCharts A+His [Stephen's] brain was simmering and bubbling within the cracking tenement of the skull. Flames burst forth from his skull like a corolla, shrieking like voices.
Related Themes:
