Question

Based on the epic simile, how should the reader picture the beam of wood Odysseus found in the cave?

Answer 1

The simile that describes the beam of wood that Odysseus found in the cave is the following:

it was like a mast

a lugger of twenty oars, broad in the beam—

a deep-sea-going craft—might carry:

so long, so big around, it seemed.

A "mast" is an upright post found in most ships or vessels, especially in those that use sails. The simile explains that this beam of wood resembled the mast of an enormous ship as it was very long and broad.

Answer 2

The beam of wood looks like a club or a a staff. It looks like a large olive tree or like a mast of a ship with twenty oars (a very big mast).

Hope this helps :)