…and I’ve got Raymond walking on the inside close to the buildings, cause he’s subject to fits of fantasy and starts thinking he’s a circus performer and that the curb is a tightrope strung high in the air.

What literary device is illustrated by the phrase "he’s a circus performer"?

idiom
metaphor
simile
characterization

Metaphor

Explanation:

A Metaphor helps describe a character or variable by relating it to another character or Variable that is seemly unrelated to it but bears certain characteristics to it for comparison sake.

It essentially says one thing is another so that the original thing can be understood better.

For example, "every family has a black sheep". It is not saying that every family will have a sheep which is black but rather saying that at least one member of each family behaves differently from the rest.

In the above extract from Toni Cade Bambara's short story "Raymond's Run", Squeaky who is Raymond's sister is using a metaphor to describe her brother's penchant for using the curb as a Circus clown uses a rope high in the air.

I can't create all of them.

But 1. Sharp

I have a sharp knife.

Hope it helps! :D