Singing like songbirds
Merland uses a simile to imply that people are talking and revealing information:"They're singing like songbirds."
Iron door metaphor
Using a metaphor, Merlan describes how disenfranchisement might lead to people being vulnerable to conspiracy theories:
"I found it in rising disenfranchisement, a feeling many people have that they are shut out of systems of power, pounding furiously at iron doors that will never open to admit them."
Snare metaphor
Merlan describes a frequent mindset for people who believe in conspiracy theories: "Together, these elements helped create a society in which many Americans see millions of snares, laid by a menacing group of enemies."
Shadow metaphor
Merlan describes the progression and prevalence of conspiracy theories, using a metaphor of a shadow growing: "These things were in the country around me, in my own life- shadows that seemed to grow longer and longer."
