o clarify the actions taking place in the scene.
             Epic similes often employ common images to clarify the story, which aid the reader's understanding of the epic. "The significant aspect of Homeric similes is that they work through suggestion" (Beye 109). In this sense, they do not "flat-out" say what they mean. Thus they appear to sidetrack from the main topic. "[The epic similes'] seeming digressions and endless descriptions are, like still shots or slow motion sequences, moments of heightened suspense" (Mueller 217). This technique helps intensify the comprehension that the reader experiences. The Odyssey reveals this technique in the following quote where Odysseus first meets Alkìnoös' daughter: "He pushed aside the bushes, breaking off [ . . . ] [ . . . ]like a mountain lion, rain-drenched, wind-buffeted, but in his might at ease, with burning eyes-who prowls among the herds or flocks, or aftergame, his hungry belly taking him near stout homesteads for his prey" (VI. 137-44). In this passage, the image of an exhausted and desperate hungry lion, which roams the fields for anything to eat to help in its survival. This vivid image is a common visual that most readers can easily conceive. Similes often use common images as their subjects however, length of detail of each subject can differ. For example, in The Odyssey of Book IV, the comparison made is rather small when compared to other epic simile
             ...