Anxiety (Metaphor)
Liza’s anxiety before hearing could hardly be described. Not only her present, but her future is in danger, for MIT would never accept her if her grades were not perfect and the record was clean of detentions. She says that her stomach feels as if “ there is a dog chasing its tail in it ”. This metaphor helps to describe strong anxiety which causes physical discomfort.
Without any care (Metaphor)
It was Liza’s luck that she was naturally clever, for her marks might significantly drop since her meeting with Annie. She was " floating through classes ”, writing letters to Annie or daydreaming. The metaphor meant that Liza attended classes, but she didn’t pay any attention to them at all
Fixation (metaphor)
Liza could concentrate neither on her study nor on her duties, for “ Annie filled my mind ”. The songs she heard on the radio suddenly seemed to fit Annie and her, so did poets, movies and many other things. This metaphor meant that Liza couldn’t stop thinking about Annie.
Supportive (Simile)
Liza is really fond of her mother, for she is “ a very good person to talk to ”. Regardless of how big a problem is, she can help. The main thing is that she does it without making her children “ feel like worms ”. Simile with worms might indicate that the children never felt themselves pathetic after speaking to their mother.
A tragedy mask (Simile)
When Nana met Liza, she thanked her for being a good friend to Annie. The thought about her granddaughter’s loneliness “ made the corners of her mouth drop like a tragedy mask ” . This simile showed that Nana’s facial expression changed from smiling and happy to tragic and worried in a blink of an eye.
Delighted ( Simile)
When Sally decided to help the school and join to fund-raising campaign, she came up with dozens of various ideas. As soon as Mrs. Poindexter and Ms. Baxter heard her out, they “ looked like a couple of Cheshire cats ”. This simile indicated that the pair had absolutely mad and unbelievably wide and toothy smiles.
