The tone of this passage from "hills like white elephants" is

the statement that best explains why the tenth amendment reserves some rights and powers to states is that the framers believed in the principle of federalism. this principle says that some powers are in the hands of a centralized national government, while others are reserved for the governments of several states.

(you didn't attach a copy of the poem, but i'm answering as best as i can)

since a simile compares two unlike things using like or as, it kind of gives an item the ability to do something it can't.

example: "the player was like a tiger on the field"

in this sentence, the simile conveys the idea that the player was fast and strong, like a tiger.