Homer's similes are extended and so long at times that you forget you are reading one, That's what makes them special. Cliched and banal similes are not much use unless in direct spech to illustrate a character.
Never. In a book they are unnecessary and interfer with the plot.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.