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Year 11
Edexcel

Considering Chandler's use of similes in 'Trouble is My Business'

I can explain and analyse Chandler's use of similes.

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New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

Considering Chandler's use of similes in 'Trouble is My Business'

I can explain and analyse Chandler's use of similes.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Writers may use similes in order to create emphatic, evocative images for the reader.
  2. Chandler compares Anna Halsey’s appearance to "suet" and her desk to "Napoleon’s tomb".
  3. Arguably, the comparison of her appearance to "suet" may imply that she has a hard exterior.
  4. Furthermore, the comparison of her desk to "Napoleon’s tomb" may imply she’s cold in business.

Common misconception

That we should only consider the image that a simile offers us.

While the image may be particularly evocative, it's also useful to analyse the connotations of the comparative image as that can reveal layers to what the writer is trying to portray to the reader.

Keywords

  • Emphatic - expressing something forcibly and clearly

  • Evocative - bringing strong images, memories or feelings to mind

  • Suet - the hard white fat on the kidneys and loins of cattle, sheep and other animals

  • Tomb - a large vault, typically an underground one, for burying the dead

It would be useful for pupils to share which similes they found the most evocative or emphatic as it will help them to develop their evaluative skills.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to the opening paragraph of Raymond Chandler's 'Trouble is My Business' for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
'A figure of speech that involves comparing two unlike things using the words 'like' or 'as'' is the definition of a ...
Correct Answer: simile
Q2.
Which of the following is a simile?
Correct answer: 'The floor was as hot as molten lead.'
'The floor was molten lead'.
'The floor crackled and spat.'
Q3.
Which of the following might you use to complete this simile: 'as hot as '.
a bean
Correct answer: hell
Correct answer: the sun
a statue
Q4.
'A large vault, typically an underground one, for burying the dead' is the definition of which word beginning with 't'?
Correct Answer: tomb
Q5.
'Bringing strong images, memories, or feelings to mind' is the definition of which word beginning with 'e'?
Correct Answer: evocative, evoke
Q6.
Complete the following common simile: 'as as butter'.
Correct Answer: soft

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
In the opening of Chandler's 'Trouble is My Business', Anna Halsey's desk is described as being like " tomb".
Correct Answer: Napoleon's, Napoleons
Q2.
'Expressing something forcibly and clearly' is the definition of which word beginning with 'e'?
Correct Answer: emphatic
Q3.
Complete the Shakespearean simile: "as as the sea".
beautiful
Correct answer: boundless
bare
brutal
Q4.
'The hard white fat on the kidneys and loins of cattle, sheep, and other animals' is the definition of which word beginning with 's'?
Correct Answer: suet
Q5.
In Chandler's 'Trouble is My Business', Anna Halsey's face is compared to suet. Which of the following might that suggest?
Her face is smooth.
Correct answer: Her demeanor is possibly cold.
Her face is beautiful.
Her demeanor is possibly warm.
Q6.
In Chandler's 'Trouble is My Business', Halsey's desk is compared to "Napoleon's tomb". The desk is said to be black, but the tomb itself is ...
grey
Correct answer: brown
white
black