My Throat Burned (Metaphor)
After fleeing Egypt, Sinuhe travels alone through the desert until he starves and becomes dangerously dehydrated. Sinuhe says, "An attack of thirst overtook me; I was parched, my throat burned, and I said: This is the taste of death." In this metaphor, Sinuhe illustrates the painful dryness he feels in his throat by speaking of it as though the tender flesh has been burned with fire.
How Like Am I to a Bull (Simile)
When a warrior visits Sinuhe's tent to challenge him to a fight, Sinuhe analyzes the circumstances that accidentally brought the men into conflict. Believing the man's resentment for Sinuhe's success as a tribe leader to be the issue, Sinuhe says, "How like am I to a bull of the roaming cattle in the midst of another herd, whom the bull of that little herd attacks, whom that long-horned bull is charging!" In this simile, Sinuhe illustrates the situation he finds himself in by comparing himself to a bull who wanders into another herd and accidentally attracts the angry attention of the herd's main bull. The simile highlights how Sinuhe understands that he provoked the man without intending to do so.
My Heart Was Not In My Body (Metaphor)
When Sinuhe is brought before the throne at the end of the tale, he is seized by a bodily terror at being so close to the king's godlike presence. Feeling as though he has died, Sinuhe remarks, "my soul had perished, my limbs failed, my heart was not in my body." In this metaphor, Sinuhe emphasizes the deathlike numbness in his body by speaking of his heart as though the physical organ has suddenly vanished from his chest cavity.
