Homeric Similes

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Fun With Homeric Similes

Homeric (or epic) simile: an extended comparison, usually of a person to an inanimate object or animal.

Assignment: Using the list below, create 2 of your own Homeric similes. For each one, choose one person from List A and one object/animal from List B to compare the person to. Remember to make your comparison long and detailed!

Here’s a helpful formula (but you can do it differently if you’d prefer):
1. Start with “As” or “Like”
2. Describe the way the object or animal would look/act, set off with commas
3. Say “so too,” then describe the way the person would look/act in a similar way

Examples:

As a flag flaps in the breeze, clumsily twisting and flopping without rhyme or reason, so too Mr. Kostechka attempted to dance the tango, making a total idiot of himself.

Like a bunch of dirty pigeons, scratching mindlessly in the dirt for anything they can find, my IHS teachers try to peck out the insides of my soul with their talk of symbolism, butcher paper, and “creative projects.”

List A (People) List B (objects/animals)
Paris Hilton smelly sock
Johnny Depp hamsters
George W. Bush pancakes
Mr. Kostechka monkey
Bill Clinton tiger
IHS teachers (or students) pigeons
Boys unicorns
Girls ice cream
Homer knife
Madonna roller skate
Ryan Seacrest Play Doh

Your Similes:

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2.. ___________________________________________________________________________

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