Read the excerpt from Flannery O'Connor's "The Life You Save May Be Your Own." The ugly words settled in Mr. Shiftlet's head like a group of buzzards in the top of a tree. The simile in this excerpt compares Mr. Shiftlet to a group of buzzards. the ugly words to the top of the tree. a group of buzzards to the top of a tree. the ugly words to a group of buzzards.