Select the correct answer.
Read this excerpt from "The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane:
The correspondent looked over his shoulder at the captain. His face was hidden, and he seemed to be asleep. He looked at the babes of the sea. They certainly were asleep. So, being bereft of sympathy, he leaned a little way to one side and swore softly into the sea.
Which figure of speech is used in the phrase "babes of the sea"?
A.
pace
B.
simile
C.
diction
D.
metaphor
E.
syntax
D. metaphor
D. metaphor
To determine the figure of speech used in the phrase "babes of the sea," we need to understand the context and meaning of the phrase.
In this excerpt from "The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane, the correspondent is looking at something in the sea. He describes it as the "babes of the sea" and mentions that they are asleep.
By analyzing the phrase, we can eliminate options C (diction) and E (syntax) as they refer to elements of language and sentence structure rather than figures of speech.
The remaining options are A (pace), B (simile), and D (metaphor).
A "pace" refers to the speed or rate at which something is done, so it is not a relevant figure of speech in this context.
A "simile" is a figure of speech that directly compares two things using "like" or "as." Since there is no explicit comparison using "like" or "as" in the phrase "babes of the sea," option B can be eliminated as well.
This leaves us with option D, "metaphor." A "metaphor" is a figure of speech that implies a comparison by stating that one thing is another. In this case, the correspondent is comparing what he sees in the sea to "babes." It suggests that whatever he sees has a similarity to infants or young children.
Therefore, the correct answer is D. "metaphor"