What are some of the similes used in "The Scarlet Ibis"?

Remember that a simile is a form of literary comparison
where one object is compared to another object using the word "like" or "as". Normally
the two objects are dissimilar - we would not normally think of associating or linking
them, but the author normally makes a point or forces us to see the object they are
describing in a new and surprising way because of the
comparison.

Looking at "The Scarlet Ibis", therefore, there
are some great examples of similes. To me, one of the most important in the text is the
description of the dead Scarlet Ibis after it has just fallen from the
tree:

Even
death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers,
and we stood around it, awed by its exotic
beauty.

Here the dead scarlet
ibis is compared to a broken vase of red flowers. Note how this reflects both its
fragile, broken state as a dead bird, but it also conveys its incredible beauty - it is
compared to red flowers, even though they are in a broken
vase.

What is key to realise, however, is how the mention
of red links the scarlet ibis to Doodle. Remember the simile that is used to describe
him at birth:

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He seemed all head, with a tiny body which was
red and shrivelled like an old
man's.

Here of course the
comparison is less than flattering, emphasising as it does the unnatural appearance of
Doodle, but it serves to link the character of Doodle with the scarlet ibis - a
comparison that becomes very important at the end of the
novel.

So, there are two important similes for you from
this excellent story. Have a go and looking back at it and finding some more now. Good
luck!