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Definition of Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like" or "as," but can also... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often... read full definition
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Explanation and Analysis—Day and Night:
Emerson uses the following simile to insist on the fundamental truth of human intuition:
Every man discriminates between the voluntary acts of his mind, and his involuntary perceptions, and knows that to his involuntary perceptions a perfect faith is due. He may err in the expression of them, but he knows that these things are so, like day and night, not to be disputed.
First, Emerson distinguishes between two kinds of thinking: “voluntary acts,” or thoughts that we control, and “involuntary perceptions,” or thoughts that we don’t have power over. Emerson compares the second kind of thinking, "involuntary perceptions," to “day and night,” explaining that neither can be argued with. Day and night are celestial facts, controlled by the movement of the Earth. By making this comparison, Emerson suggests that humans are as powerless to stop or change our involuntary perceptions as we are to change or stop the Earth’s rotation. Additionally, the simile implies that our intuition is fundamentally true. Day and night would continue to happen even if someone tried to deny them. To Emerson, intuition acts similarly: it remains true whether it is acknowledged or not. By comparing involuntary perceptions to fundamental truths of the universe, the simile supports Emerson’s argument that humans should be guided by intuition. Moreover, the comparison suggests that the same forces that govern the movement of planets are active inside of human minds. This is in line with Emerson’s broader claim that nature exists inside all of us.
Related Themes:
