What litererary device is being used in this sentence?

Question

Okay, the sentence is:

"The smoke was a very tight knot on the horizon and was uncoiling slowly."

it's from Lord of the Flies and for my homework.

=]

Answer 1

That book is awesome.

Like the other people have said, it's a metaphor, comparing the smoke to a knot/snake without using "like" or "as".

It IS NOT a personification. Personification is giving human characteristics to a non-human subject. Last time I checked humans couldn't coil.

Answer 2

The second example is definitely correct. The first sounds like a bad translation of something from Chinese to English done by somebody using a dictionary rather than using their knowledge of the written language. Being used...might be a grammatically correct sentence, but I really don't know for sure. You could say, If used incorrectly or When used incorrectly or If you don't use it correctly. When I looked online, I found a yahoo answer that said being is a passive way to start a sentence and you'd have more impact by rewriting it in any of the ways above or ones other people suggest.

Answer 3

i would say there's a metaphor in comparing the smoke to a tight knot as well as personficiaton since the smoke is uncoiling slowly

Answer 4

metaphor. It's comparing the smoke to a tight knot without using "like" or "as."

Answer 5

That is a metaphor, a comparison that does not use like or as, as in a simile. The author is comparing smoke and a knot.

If this or any other answer to your question helps you resolve this issue, please select a "best answer." This motivates people to help you and rewards their research in your behalf.

Cheers,
Bruce

Answer 6

It is imagery...and you could also argue that it is personification because it is saying that the smoke is "uncoiling" like a snake etc.

Answer 7

i dont know sorry ={{{{{