America is an improbable idea. A mongrel nation built of ever-changing disparate parts, it is held together by a notion, the not
ion that all men are created equal, though everyone knows that most men consider themselves better than someone. "Of all the nations in the world, the United States was built in nobody's image," the historian Daniel Boorstin wrote. That's because it was built of bits and pieces that seem discordant, like the crazy quilts that have been one of its great folk-art forms, velvet and calico and checks and brocades. Out of many, one. That is the ideal. Which techniques does the author use to develop her idea in this excerpt? Check all that apply.
1) metaphors
2) facts and statistics
3) contradictions
4) neutral language
5) loaded language
6) imagery
These are the techniques that the author uses in order to develop her idea in the excerpt. The author uses metaphors when comparing the United States to a quilt. She uses contradictions when she states that Americans are all equal, even though most people feel superior to others. She uses loaded language when she employs words such as "mongrel," "discordant" and "crazy." Finally, she uses imagery when she describes the velvet, calico, checks and brocade of quilts.
The son had showed his father a match. Whenever he lit the match, it filled the entire room with light, yet it was still small enough to fit into his pocket.
