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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
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Black Women Working:
As Noah introduces the reader to apartheid and his mother's circumstances, he uses a simile to highlight the illogicality of South African society:
My mother didn’t want to work in a factory. She was a horrible cook and never would have stood for some white lady telling her what to do all day. So, true to her nature, she found an option that was not among the ones presented to her: She took a secretarial course, a typing class. At the time, a black woman learning how to type was like a blind person learning how to drive. It’s an admirable effort, but you’re unlikely to ever be called upon to execute the task. By law, white-collar jobs and skilled-labor jobs were reserved for whites. Black people didn’t work in offices.
When Patricia finds a career trajectory "not among the ones presented to her," she demonstrates her resolve, desire for independence, and rebellion against the status quo. Her actions and career decisions served as an inspiration for Noah, who subsequently understands the importance of being strong-willed and willing to think outside the box. It is no wonder that Noah attributes his success and health to his mother's strength in raising him.
Related Themes:
Chapter 13
Explanation and Analysis—The White Neighborhoods:
In the preface to Chapter 13, Noah depicts the incredible lengths that White neighborhoods went to protect themselves and ultimately separate themselves from Black and "colored" (mixed-race) people. With an ironic metaphor and a simile, Noah describes his personal struggle with these supposed safeguards:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The white neighborhoods of Johannesburg were built on white fear—fear of black crime, fear of black uprisings and reprisals—and as a result virtually every house sits behind a six-foot wall, and on top of that wall is electric wire. Everyone lives in a plush, fancy maximum-security prison.[…] I’d hear people laughing and playing and I’d get off my bike and creep up and peek over the wall and see a bunch of white kids splashing around in someone’s swimming pool. I was like a Peeping Tom, but for friendship.
Related Themes:
