Smiles and Metaphors in “A Thousand Gold Coins” Everyone knows that we use metaphors and similes every day of our lives. As we try to imagine a good metaphor or simile in our mind, the connection allows us to see something in a new way. For example, using "The crowd was really angry" makes the conversation more effective than simply saying "The crowd was really angry." Like us, many authors use these literary devices to create effective illustrations of their words. Authors describe the person or situation by comparing their characters to something popular, like animals, and defining them on another level. RuThAnne Lum McCum is one of these authors. He is very good at using similes and metaphors to clarify the characters' emotions and their situations. In this way, it puts the reader in the shoes of the character in the story. In "A Thousand Pieces of Gold," RuThAnne Lum McCum compares Madam, who works in "The House of Heavenly Pleasure," to a cormorant. He describes that fishermen use cormorants to catch fish by ringing rings around the birds' necks so they can catch f....