Literary devices for Diary of a Madman

Simile:

Aksenty Ivanovich couldn’t not believe it. What a fool he used to be to believe that he was just “a titular councillor.” He was really “lucky” that no one tried to shut him up “in an asylum.” Now everything is clear, and “as plain as pikestaff,” he is the King of Spain.

Imagery:

Aksenty Ivanovich “would rather not have gone to the office at all today.” He knows “beforehand” that their department-chief will look “as sour as vinegar.” Not to mention that “for some time past” he has been in habit of saying to Aksenty Ivanovich, “Look here, my friend; there is something wrong with your head.” The most interesting part is that the department-chief’s suspicions are not groundless. Aksenty Ivanovich often rushes about as though he was “possessed.” He makes “such confused abstracts of the documents” that “the devil himself cannot make them out.” The titular councillor writes the title “without any capital letters,’’ and adds “neither the date nor the docket-number.” This imagery evokes a feeling of worry, for it is obvious that something is clearly wrong with him.