Leaves in a Wind
"But the slavers, advancing among them, tossed the At-mun-shi about like leaves in a wind." ("Africa 1725")
This scene takes place at the beginning of the novel, where the slavers invade At-mun's village and take him and others captive. This simile, describing the almost thoughtless violence with which the slavers treat the villagers, serves to heighten the feeling of horror and anxiety caused by their unwelcome intrusion. The technological superiority of the slavers' weapons allows them to throw the villagers around as effortlessly as leaves in wind.
Trained Animals
"They stood in a long patient row, like animals trained at last to obey commands." ("The Middle Passage")
This quote describes the captured Africans, lined up on the wharf for inspection before being traded to the captain of the White Falcon, who would take them to America. This image is a disheartening one; the Africans are being forced to live and act like trained animals, a habit burned into them by the grueling way their captives have treated and abused them.
An Obedient Dog
"She bade the boy come and like an obedient dog he followed her out of the room." ("Boston 1725-1740")
Like the previous quote, this one compares the obedience of Amos to that of a dog. This time, Amos is alone, and in this scene, Celia Copeland is kindly trying to teach him how to behave like a proper American. At first, he behaves like a dog, which is how most white men see him. Eventually, however, he realizes that these Christian people really see him as another human, and he grows more comfortable interacting with them.
The Voice of Caleb Copeland
"Except for the depth in his voice and the clipped syllabic sound, it was like the voice of Caleb Copeland." (Boston 1725-1740)
After a long period of instruction from Mrs. Copeland and her children, Amos has a decent grasp of the English language, and he is excited by the sound of his own voice. As Caleb Copeland is the only English-speaking man he comes into regular contact with, Amos naturally compares his own voice to Caleb's, and he is delighted by the similarity, which is remarkable except for the depth (the low pitch of his own voice) and the "clipped syllabic sound" (his African accent).
Sunlight Through Clouds
"Yet hope filtered through them like the sun through a dark day's clouds as fervently they sang of the joys that awaited them in another world." ("Boston 1725-1740")
This paragraph describes the attitudes of the other black slaves, most of whom don't have as fortunate a position as Amos and must work hard for men who see them as inferiors. Despite these depressing circumstances, these slaves bravely hold on to hope, and this simile highlights that fact by using the image of a sun bringing light through the clouds, having faith in a better life in a better world in the future.
