The first line of the second stanza of Robert Lowell’s poem, “For the Union Dead,” reads: “Once my nose crawled like a snail on
the glass.” This is an example of _____. metaphor to compare the window to a slowly moving snail hyperbole to express the intensity of the speaker’s memory simile to suggest the speaker’s excitement at seeing the fish conceit to set the tone of sadness throughout the rest of the poem
Answer: simile to suggest the speaker’s excitement at seeing the fish.
A simile is a comparison between two things that are similar in a particular quality. It is a common literary device and can usually be recognized by the use of words such as "like." In this case, the author is using a simile in order to describe how his nose looked when pressed against the glass. This implies that he was looking in attentively and intensely, which shows his excitement at seeing the fish.
