Clouds as Black as Oil (Simile)
On page 98, the comparison of heavy clouds to dark oil emphasizes their foreboding nature. Normally, clouds bring thunderstorms, which are beneficial for crops and farmers. However, because of the context of this simile, while the rain would have been welcome earlier, the people are now far too hungry to plant anything. Oil is similar in texture to water, but with massively different properties that usually allude to pollution of some sort. The comparison here emphasizes the dark color of the clouds, but also how they are far from ideal conditions for farming.
Pinwheels (Simile)
When William first discovers the image of the windmill on page 169, he compares it to the pinwheels he and his friends played with as children. This comparison allows those who also may not be familiar with the windmill concept to have a mental image, as well as cements the windmill as a simple piece of technology. After being modeled after a child's toy, this creation would go on to serve many other purposes, but the fact that it can be compared shows how innovations are often derived from the wildest sources.
Trywell's Dance Moves (Simile)
One of the first stories about William's father Trywell is of his dance moves on page 30. He is notoriously good at dancing, and his moves have been compared to a "gazelle" and a "flying grasshopper," indicating his graceful and elegant motion. These comparisons to the natural world emphasize the powerful, fluid, and evocative movements Trywell embodies when dancing.
Radios (Simile)
Radios play an important role in the culture of Malawi, so much so that they are treated "like members of the family" (68). This simile emphasizes how reliant Malawians are on radios for communication and entertainment, and implies that without functional radios, they would feel as if they had lost a family member. This is an example of how technology has radically shifted the way in which Malawians operate on a daily basis, and explains partially the reason for William's desire to create a windmill to power a radio without being interrupted.
Watery Spirits (Metaphor)
During the famine, many people sold their belongings to get enough money to eat. They were hardly people of material means—instead, they floated around and stood in the rain until "their bodies blurred into watery spirits" (112). This metaphor describes the corporeality, or lack thereof, of these hungry people. Without food, their bodies are so thin that they don't even appear to be on this plane of existence.
