Simile to describe Grandma
When Dougan was taken to Commander Yu by his mother, he watched her leave. The narrator describes this using the simile, ‘Grandma receded like a distant shore as the approaching sea of mist grew more tempestuous.’ The simile has likened how far Grandma was to a distant shore.
Sorghum
The narrator and his family were sorghum growers. The sorghum is described as, ‘In late autumn, during the eighth lunar month, vast stretches of red sorghum shimmered like a sea of blood.’ The simile creates imagery for the color of the sorghum was red just like a sea of blood.
Sorghum Fields in the Moonlight
One night, the narrator observed the sorghum fields in the moonlight. They are described as, ‘A bright round moon climbed slowly in the sky above the solemn, silent sorghum fields, bathing the tassels in its light until they shimmered like mercury. ‘The simile has likened the shimmer of the sorghum in the moonlight to mercury thereby creating imagery.
Welts on Wang Wenyi’s neck
Wang Wenyi was constantly beaten by Commander Yu. At one time he was chocked. The narrator describes the welts on the neck of Wang as, ‘…he even sensed the purple welts, like ripe grapes left behind.’ The simile has likened the color of the welts to ripe grapes.
The eels
The eels of the Black Water River are described as, ‘The white eels of the Black River Water, like plump sausages with tapered ends, foolishly swallowed every hook in sight.’ The simile has likened the size of the eels to plump sausages with tapered ends. This builds an image of the size of the eels in the readers’ minds.
