The teacher's attitude
Xuela describes her teacher's attitude using a simile. The simile is as follows, '... She wore despair like an article of clothing, like a mantle that she leaned on constantly.' She therefore likened the teacher's attitude to the act of wearing a piece of clothing.
The Black Room of the Word
The statement 'black room of the world' is metaphorical because it meant the sorrow that Xuela felt for having lost her mother. It is also a metaphor for all the sorrows of the world that people have to pass through.
Metaphor for Xuela's thoughts
Xuela says that, 'A great sea of what I did not know opened up before me, and it's powerful treacherous currents pulsed over my head repeatedly until I was sure I was dead.' The statement has the following metaphors, great sea to describe the many thoughts that Xuela had and treacherous currents to explain the power of the thoughts that she had.
Description of Xuela's stepmother
Xuela describes her stepmother as follows, ' Her nose was long and sharp, like an arrow.' In the description, the stepmother's nose was likened to an arrow.
Description of a voice
Xuela describes a voice as follows, 'The sound of her voice was like a small treasure found in an abandoned chest.' This description has likened the voice to abandoned treasure for its value and rareness.
