Simile

A simile is a comparison between two things using "like" or "as".

Examples:


 * “cute as a kitten,” comparing the way someone looks to the way a kitten looks.
 * “as busy as a bee”, comparing someone’s level of energy to a fast-flying bee.
 * "soft like a cloud", comparing an object to the soft texture of a cloud.
 * "Logan runs as fast as Usain Bolt" comparing Logan's speed to Usain's speed.

Dominique Selby

A Tale of Two Cities: Similes

By: Kyle Pugliese

In the novel, //A Tale of Two Cities//, similes play a big part in how Charles Dickens expresses his story. They help the reader compare one idea with another while reading, and they give style to this piece of literature or writing. Many example of similes pop up in the book, but there are three that stick out.

//A Tale of Two Cities// contains many similes that help enhance reading and style, and to also engage the reader. One example of a simile from the book is, "When the Attorney-General ceased, a buzz arose in the court as if a cloud of great blue-flies were swarming about the prisoner, in anticipation of what he was soon to become" (pg. 68). In this quote, Dickens is saying that the courtroom is filled with murmuring and whispering people when the Attorney-General announces the description of Charles Darnay. This quote can also be interpreted as if the flies, traditionally representing evil, death, destruction, and corruption, are swarming around Charles Darnay, a French aristocrat, and foreshadowing other "blue flies", swarming revolutionaries, that are going to congregate to bring death and destruction to all of the French aristocrats. This quote gives more style to Charles Dickens' writing and also helps the reader compare something annoying, like a hoard of flies, to a courtroom of whispering people surrounding Charles Darnay. This simile also foreshadows the revolution.

Another example of a simile from Charles Dickens' novel, //A Tale of Two Cities//, is found on page 12-13, saying, "They had a sinister expression, under an old cocked-hat like a three-cornered spittoon, and over a great muffler for the chin and throat, which descended nearly to the wearer’s knees." In this quote, Charles Dickens' is talking about Jerry Cruncher's eyes and how they are hidden under an old hat which Dickens compares to a "three-cornered spittoon", otherwise known as a bowl into which tobacco chewers spit. Charles Dickens may have used this quote to help the reader picture in detail what Jerry Cruncher looked like in this situation, and to create a less than flattering image of the man.

One final example of a simile from Charles Dickens' novel, //A Tale of Two Cities//, is when he writes, "The strong tide, so swift, so deep, and certain, was like a congenial friend, in the morning stillness." This quote, found on page 320, is describing what Sydney Carton observed once when he was walking near the sea. This quote compares the swift and deep sea to a congenial, or pleasant, friend while the morning stood still with the sun up. This quote is used to enhance the mood in these sets of paragraphs and set the stage for when Sydney Carton finds out the truth about himself, and discovers he is a good person. The mood being set here is calm and pleasant, comparing favorably the tide to a good friend. This passage encourages the reader to want to further explore this novel.

Charles Dickens uses not just similes in his writing but includes forms of metaphors, personification, and other figurative language. However, similes play a big part in this novel because they enhance Dickens' writing style and engage the reader in the story. //A Tale of Two Cities// contains many examples of the author using similes to describe parts of the story in more vivid detail to further the reader's interest.

Examples of Similes: Nicole Barnada

rakib razzak

Example of Simile -Jamie Solomon

Natalie Intrieri p.8 ||
 * EXAMPLES OF SIMILIES **

Examples of Similes -Vicheata Soth

The Life of Pablo is like a rip off of Drake's Views from the 6.- MD

Hannah Kerney

The man was as stiff as a board.

Sydney Brobst Comparing two things using "like" or "as"

Surali Panchani A simile is a type of metaphor