Answer:
I need the the extract or something?
In general, close reading helps the reader to truly understand a text. Part of close reading is what is called analysis, which literally means to dissect or look at all the parts to understand the whole. Through close reading, a reader dissects a text thus penetrating through its layers of meaning.
This is an example of a simile because it uses the word "like" to compare two different things. In this case, the writer is comparing someone's life to the German Confederacy.
Hope this helps!