How ironic it is to see
No one likes the budget
They must agree
But Congressmen wont budge it
Politics works this way
Democrats point fingers
Republicans do not sway
Yet the time lingers
The country has shutdown
The key has been tossed afar
Let´s again start the countdown
Or better get a crowbar
It has happened before
It will happen again
It is common lore
Pray not to go down the drain
Answer:
This is a simile.
The word 'like' makes it a simile instead of a metaphor. In this excerpt from "marigolds," The narrator is describing their mother's voice as calm and soothing by saying it sounds "like a cool, dark room in summer...." This adds to the overall characterization because the reader can better understand what the mother's voice sounds like. It creates a picture inside your head.