Does "The Soul selects her own Society" by Emily Dickinson have a simile?

Question

Here is the poem "The Soul selects her own Society" by Emily Dickinson. > The Soul selects her own Society — Then — shuts the Door — To her divine Majority — Present no more — > > Unmoved — she notes the Chariots — pausing — At her low Gate — Unmoved > — an Emperor be kneeling Upon her Mat — > > I’ve known her — from an ample nation — Choose One — Then — close the > Valves of her attention — Like Stone The book *SAT II Success: Literature* which I use to prepare for the SAT exam (a multiple-choice test for high school students in the US) asks the following question about the poem: > Which of the following elements of style are not present in the poem? > (A) Metaphors (B) Similes (C) Grammatical irregularities (D) Slant rhyme (E) Figurative language In my opinion, every choice is present: metaphors ("Valves"), similes ("[l]ike Stone"), grammatical irregularities (punctuation), slant rhyme ("pausing"/"kneeling"), and figurative language (this one includes metaphors and similes). However, the book says otherwise. Here is an explanation for this question: > **The correct answer is (B).** Remember to pay special attention to the > word *except* in this question. “Chariots” and “Emperor” are clearly > metaphors for wealth and power, which makes choice (A) true. Dickinson > is known for her sharp, concrete images, like “Door,” “Chariots,” > “Gate,” “Mat,” and “Stone,” making choice (B) untrue because they are > not similes. Choices (C), (D), and (E) are clearly evident, and > therefore do not meet the criteria of exception. Choice (B) is the > right answer. The book says that "[l]ike Stone" only includes an image of stone, but isn't it a simile? According to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simile): > A simile (/ˈsɪməli/) is a figure of speech that directly compares two > things. Similes are a form of metaphor that explicitly use connecting > words (such as like, as, so, than, or various verbs such as resemble), > though these specific words are not always necessary. So why is "[l]ike Stone" not a simile in this poem?

Answer 1

I agree with you, but I believe this has to do with the punctuation. Emily Dickinson did not finish the sentence after “Like Stone—” therefore, she did not create the simile. Now, one could argue that “Like Stone” is how she closes “the Valves of her attention.” But if you read those lines as commands or directions, “Choose One— / “Then—close the Valves of her attention—,” what comes after “Like Stone—"?