The simile of the air
When the narrator and her mother first arrived in Kenya in the year 1904, the farm they were to occupy was fifteen hundred acres and it was bushy with little sign of humanity. The farm was untouched full of natural vegetation. The narrator’s mother was shocked that they were to occupy a bushy farm with little sign human. The author writes, “This? My mother said, the air around her humming and shimmering as if it were alive." The simile personifies the surrounding air by comparing it to a living organism because of its shimmering and humming sound.
The simile of the New Place
The narrator recalls the first day they arrived at their newly acquired farm in Kenya. They had traveled thousands of miles from England to Kilindini Harbor in Mombasa. From Mombasa, the family took a train to Nairobi and then to their new farm. The place was strange because it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. The narrator says, "Whatever this place was, it was like nothing and nowhere else.” She compares the new home to nowhere because there is no sign of life but they had no choice but to make the place habitable.
The simile of African women
The narrator later came to appreciate and love the African culture more so the Kipsigis culture. As a teen girl, she loved joining Kibii’s mother and other women to listen to their stories and learn about the Swahili language. The narrator became fond of these African women and their stories. For instance, the story she loved most from these women was about the rain and the wind and how they were punished by the heavens. The narrator compares these women to polished ebony when she says, “The women themselves were wizened and toothless, or supple as polished ebony, with long-muscled limbs under pale shukas. Despite their looks, the narrator loved these women very much.
The simile of snakes
The narrator describes how the surrounding bushes posed a threat to their existence in the area. The homesteads were surrounded by bushes. However, her initial fears about the animals and the animals had faded away because she gained a lot of courage while hunting with Kibii. The animals that surrounded their homestead included elephants, snakes, rats, hyenas, and frogs among others. The narrator was however frightened by the vibrating snakes from the holes and those that could swing down from trees. She says, “Snakes in trees could swing down and cut the air like rope or make only the lowest rub of smooth belly against smooth-grained mahogany.”
The simile of Buller
Buller is the mixed dog breed that lived in the narrator's house. Besides being ugly, Buller was a lovely dog and it always tried its best to keep the narrator company. One day, the leopard sneaked into the hut and tried to pull Buller away but Buller was a fighter. Buller fought for his life fearless and torn open the leopard's throat. Buller managed to return to the hut with injuries but the narrator considered a hero because of its courage and fighting spirit. She articulates, "Buller had ripped open the leopard’s throat and limped home covered in their mingled blood, looking like a hero but also nearly dead.” Buller is compared to a hero because of its fearlessness.
