Question

G. K. Chesterton uses the story of King Midas to strengthen his claims in the essay "The Fallacy of Success. " Which rhetorical device is used in this excerpt from the essay?
Unfortunately, however, Midas could fail; he did. His path did not lead unerringly upward. He starved because whenever he touched a biscuit or a ham sandwich it turned to gold. That was the whole point of the story, though the writer has to suppress it delicately, writing so near to a portrait of Lord Rothschild. The old fables of mankind are, indeed, unfathomably wise; but we must not have them expurgated in the interests of Mr. Vanderbilt. We must not have King Midas represented as an example of success; he was a failure of an unusually painful kind.aphorism

A.) anecdote
B.) allusion
C.) metaphor
D.) alliteration

Answer 1

The rhetorical device used in this excerpt from the essay is letter C.) metaphor. The story of King Midas is used to invoke failure opposing the successful stories of Lord Rothschild and Mr. Vanderbilt in terms of wealth and possessions. Although opposite words are used, comparison is still illustrated.