I know what an epic simile is but I'm trouble finding two epic similes in these line I've given below. And I also need to know why I think the author used these two epic similes Please help! Here's the lines I have to find the two from :
The Odyssey : Book 9
"forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it deep in is crater eye, and I leaned on it turning it AS a shipwright turns a drill in planking, having men below to swing to two-handled strap that spins it in the groove. So with our brand we bored that great eye socket while blood ran out around the red hot bar. Eyelid and lash were seared; the pierced ball hissed broiling, and the roots popped. In a smithy one sees a white-hot axehead or an adze plunged and wrung in a cold tub, screeching steam- the way they make soft iron hale and hard- just so that eyeball hissed around the spike. The Cyclops bellowed and the rock roared round him, and we fell back in fear."
4 answers
"Just so" means the same as "as." The word "as" could be substituted for "just so" that eyeball hissed...
One epic simile is:
"I leaned on it turning it AS a shipwright turns a drill in planking, having men below to swing to two-handled strap that spins it in the groove."
Comparing the turning of the spike into the creatures eye to a shipbuilder using a drill.
The other is
"In a smithy one sees a white-hot axehead or an adze plunged and wrung in a cold tub, screeching steam- the way they make soft iron hale and hard- just so that eyeball hissed around the spike."
Comparing the sound of the creatures eye hissing by taking the heat from the spike to the sound of a blacksmith putting a weapon or tool made of hot metal into a bucket of water to cool it.
As for why the author used two... not sure. For emphasis maybe or since the creature isn't real to link the situtation to something people would know. Like, shipbuilding and smithing.
"I leaned on it turning it AS a shipwright turns a drill in planking, having men below to swing to two-handled strap that spins it in the groove."
Comparing the turning of the spike into the creatures eye to a shipbuilder using a drill.
The other is
"In a smithy one sees a white-hot axehead or an adze plunged and wrung in a cold tub, screeching steam- the way they make soft iron hale and hard- just so that eyeball hissed around the spike."
Comparing the sound of the creatures eye hissing by taking the heat from the spike to the sound of a blacksmith putting a weapon or tool made of hot metal into a bucket of water to cool it.
As for why the author used two... not sure. For emphasis maybe or since the creature isn't real to link the situtation to something people would know. Like, shipbuilding and smithing.
Thank you Reed for the tip and thank you so much GanonTEK for the help!! Much appreciated!
thank you so much for the help
43 answers