The Palm grove
While the narrator and his team sited a village, he described the event as, ‘… we can see into a palm grove, like an interior supported by pillars.’ The simile is the use of the word ‘like’ which likens the inside of the palm grove to an interior that is supported by pillars.
The Trobriand’s Petticoat
Malinowski uses a simile to describe the petticoats. They are described as, ‘…consisting of several layers standing out round the body like a rough.’ Th e narrator likens the manner in which the layers stand to a ruff.
The narrator’s first perception of the Kula
The narrator uses a metaphor to describe his first perception of the Kula. He describes them as, ‘… happy go lucky child of nature …waiting till the ripe fruits fall into its mouth.’ The words ripe fruit are metaphorical for the yearly yam harvest of the Kula.
Simile to describe the spirits of the dead
They are described as ,’…only floating through the air like clouds, before they turn around to the North-West to Tuma.’ The narrator therefore directly compared the manner in which the spirits hovered around the world like clouds. The simile builds imagery as the manner in which spirits are believed to hover around the world is likened to the clouds.
Metaphor to describe more gifts
The narrator tells of how when a Kula man was known to be generous, he would receive more gifts. He described the more gifts as a, ‘larger stream’. The stream is metaphorical for it means more coming gifts.
