Question

which excerpts contain examples of epic similes? select 3 options.
\...its crackling roots blazed and hissed –
as a blacksmith plunges a glowing ax or adze
in an ice-cold bath and the metal screeches steam
and its temper hardens – thats the irons strength –
so the eye of cyclops sizzled round that stake.\
or are you wandering rogues, who cast your lives
like dice, and ravage other folk by sea?
then he dismembered them and made his meal,
gaping and crunching like a mountain lion—
everything: innards, flesh, and marrow bones.
when the young dawn with finger tips of rose
lit up the world, the cyclops built a fire
and milked his handsome ewes, all in due order, putting the sucklings to the mothers.

Explanation:

An epic simile (or Homeric simile) is an extended, detailed comparison that uses "like" or "as" to draw a parallel between a heroic/epic event and a more relatable, everyday image.

1. The first excerpt uses "as" to compare the sizzling of the Cyclops' eye to a blacksmith plunging hot metal into cold water, an extended, detailed epic simile.
2. The second excerpt uses "like" but is a short, passing comparison, not an extended epic simile.
3. The third excerpt uses "like" to compare the Cyclops dismembering his prey to a mountain lion, an extended, detailed epic simile.
4. The fourth excerpt contains no comparison using "like" or "as", so it has no simile.

Answer:

1. "...its crackling roots blazed and hissed – as a blacksmith plunges a glowing ax or adze in an ice-cold bath and the metal screeches steam and its temper hardens – that's the iron's strength – so the eye of Cyclops sizzled round that stake."
2. "Then he dismembered them and made his meal, gaping and crunching like a mountain lion— everything: innards, flesh, and marrow bones."