Men on the moon

After reading several books over the years whether it was out of pleasure or for a class, I have noticed that one of the best ways that an author can use to make the reader understand the impact of their statement or his/her idea is to either relate to the reader or use comparison methods. 

Since SF is about the bombing in Dresden we would think that when the book gets to the part where the bombing actually happens, this would be described in an 'impacting' way. Although this would be appropriate, I rather have picked the way Vonnegut did it in the book. He used a simile which in a way put the bombing in simple terms but also left an impact. 

He compares the sight of Dresden after the bombing to the face of the moon, desolate and grey. (pg. 179-180)

Vonnegut makes an impacting statement that shows exactly how desolate Dresden was, in other words, how many survivors were there. 

"Absolutely everybody in the city was supposed to be dead, regardless of what they were, and that anybody that moved in it represented a flaw in the design. There were to be no moon men at all." (pg. 180)

Like I mentioned before, comparing a bombing to the moon appeals to the reader and leaves room for imagination. But since the comparison is in a way childish it also leaves a huge impact.