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 link a heroic/epic action to a relatable, vivid everyday or natural scene.

1. The first excerpt uses "as" to compare the sizzling of Cyclops' eye to a blacksmith quenching hot metal, 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 eating to a mountain lion, an extended, vivid epic simile.
4. The fourth excerpt has no comparison using "like" or "as", so it contains 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."