The simile in the excerpt from "Birches" is 'life is too much like a pathless wood,' which compares life to a confusing, aimless forest. This imagery helps convey the speaker's feelings of weariness and disorientation.
In the excerpt from 'Birches,' the simile is: 'And life is too much like a pathless wood...'
Meaning of the simile: This simile compares life to a pathless wood, indicating a sense of confusion, uncertainty, and difficulty in navigating through life.
Explanation of determining its intended meaning: By analyzing the comparison of life to a pathless wood, we can understand the imagery of being lost, tangled, and disoriented that the author is trying to convey through the simile.