Seed like a fish eye (Simile)
When discussing her papaya tree, Hà uses a simile to say it grew from "a seed like a fish eye, slippery and shiny black."
Like laundry being wrung dry (Simile)
As the family runs out of rice, Hà observes her mother's look of concern. To underscore her mother's extreme consternation, Hà uses a simile, noting that her mother's "brows twist like laundry being wrung dry."
Like clusters of eyes (Simile)
Once her papaya tree has produced fruit, Hà uses a simile that references the simile she used to describe the seed the tree grew from. However, Ha projects her sadness of having to leave Saigon onto the seeds, which she perceives to be "like clusters of eyes, wet and crying."
Hovering like a blanket (Simile)
Ha drifts off to sleep while her mother hits her gong and lights incense. The incense is a comforting presence, which Hà emphasizes with a simile that describes the incense as "hovering like a blanket, tugging me in."
Early monsoon (Metaphor)
As the war approaches closer to Ha's home in Saigon, she and her family pretend "the monsoon has come early." Through this metaphor, she likens the sound of distant bombs to thunder, and the sound of gunfire to falling rain. The metaphor emphasizes how commonplace the sound of war has become; as natural as the occasional storm.
