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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
Book 1: Hit-the-Spittoon
Explanation and Analysis—Bloody Hand:
In Book 1, Section 3—Hit-the-Spittoon, Saleem describes a spittoon that has been upended in the street by British military commander Brigadier Dodson. This seemingly innocuous upending of the spittoon is accorded great symbolic meaning, however briefly. Saleem utilizes both personification and simile to meditate on the spittoon and its narrative significance:
A dark red fluid with clots in it like blood congeals like a red hand in the dust of the street and points accusingly at the retreating power of the Raj.
Related Themes:
Book 1: Under the Carpet
Explanation and Analysis—Silence:
The following passage from Book 1, Section 4—Under the Carpet blends sound and scent descriptors in an unconventional way, generating vivid imagery:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The smell of silence, like a rotting goose-egg, fills my nostrils; overpowering everything else, it possesses the earth . . . While Nadir Khan hid in his half-lit underworld, his hostess hid too, behind a deafening wall of soundlessness.
Related Themes:
