With bated breath (Metaphor)
People were looking at the ropewalker with bated breath as if they were afraid that he might fall if they let breath out. There was silence “that heard itself, awful and beautiful”. There was no talking, no laughing, nothing at all. It was especially strange, for they were in New York, in its heart, during the rush hour.
Emotional, open and honest (Metaphor)
Corrigan is one of those people, who often seem to be rather naïve, too open and kind-hearted to be able to exist in this world. But the most interesting thing is that Corrigan doesn’t care. He says that his biggest fear is to become another cynic. He would rather “die with his heart on his sleeve”.
Need to prove (Metaphor)
Corrigan has never wanted to be one of those people who just pretend to like jobs they do. He dedicates his life to Gog and feels need to prove that he is His loyal servant. Corrigan thinks that he has to “put flesh on his word”, not only preach but help those, who need his help.
An unknown place (Simile)
In spite of the fact that Ciaran spent his childhood in Ireland, he stopped recognizing his country. Initially, the violence started “up north” and it seemed like “an entirely foreign land”. He couldn’t understand how it could change so much and so quickly. This simile was supposed to show how uncomfortably he felt there.
Grief (Simile)
When Tillie found out that her daughter was dead, she started beating her head against the cage. She was “like a bird”, unable to calm down, banging her head against hard and unbreakable jail bars. It seemed that she lost her mind.
Mary Poppins from New York’s mean streets (Simile)
Tillie didn’t want to live. What did she have to live for? Her daughter was dead, her two little granddaughters would find another home, a better one, and wouldn’t need someone like her in their lives. She decided to hang herself. The only thing she wanted to have then was her umbrella in order to “look like Mary Poppins”, hanging from the pipe.
