Thursday, November 15, 2012

Is the following quote, from To Kill a Mockingbird, a simile, a metaphor, or personification? "The Radley place fascinated Dill. In spite of...

The passage quoted is a simile


The use of the word as or like in a stated comparison between two unlike persons or things forms a simile. Therefore, the sentence "In spite of our warnings it [it=the Radley place] drew him as the moon draws water" is certainly a simile. The Radley home is compared to the moon in its ability to pull Dill in to itself in similar fashion to how the moon seems to pull tides and the word "as" is used to form this stated comparison..


This simile is not an accurate one since the moon does not affect tides by making them go in or out. Actually, the moon affects the gravitational pull, so the tide rises and falls according to the gravitational forces of the moon and sun on the oceans of the earth. It is really the current that affects the ebb and flow of the water.
Still, the scientific accuracy is not important as what Scout is trying to describe is quite understandable: Dill is so intrigued by the Radley place that it is as if he were pulled along by a tide of curiosity, a force that he cannot control. Scout's simile is one that all readers can understand and picture in their minds.

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