From the novel A Tale of Two Cities Q1. Identify the literary devices used in the sentences below. No further explanation is required.

The men at the windows had not yet swooped into the Hall, like birds of prey from their high perches. (Book the Second, Chapter-xxii)

Every green leaf, every blade of grass and blade of grain, was as shriveled and poor as the miserable people. (Book the Second, Chapter-xxiii)

A Tale of Two Cities

Identification of the Literary Devices:

1. Simile: "...like birds of prey..."

2. Simile: "...as shriveled and poor as ..."

Explanation:

A simile is one of the literary devices used by good writers and speech makers to compare two different things in order to spark an interesting connection in a reader's or listener's mind.   Some express a sense of confusion between similes and metaphors.

The difference is that a simile uses the words "like" or "as" to draw a comparison and a metaphor simply states the comparison without using "like" or "as".   Look at these two sentences.  Goldlyn is as innocent and immaculate as an angel.  Goldlyn is the angel in our class.

While a simile makes a direct comparison, a metaphor makes an implied comparison.  The first sentence (simile) compares Goldlyn to an angel in innocence and immaculateness.  The second sentence (metaphor) implies that Goldyn is the angel without comparison.

The difference between them lies in which syllables are stressed. In an iamb, the first syllable is unstressed and the second is stressed. ... In an anapest, the first two syllables are unstressed and the final syllable of the foot is stressed

. An example is the word overcome