Question

Reread lines from the poem. "Like the great giant Christopher it stands, Upon the brink of the tempestuous wave, Wading far out among the rocks and sands, The night-o'ertaken mariner to save." Which of the following statements about the stanza is accurate?
A. The stanza contains a metaphor, which compares the giant Christopher to the tempestuous waves in which he stands.
B. The stanza personifies the lighthouse as a giant named Christopher who watches over sailors in their ships on the high seas.
C. The stanza contains a simile, which compares the lighthouse to a giant who wades out into an ocean that is stormy and dangerous.
D. The stanza has no figurative language and depends only on the connotations of the words to convey its message.

Answer 1

Answer:

C. The stanza contains a simile, which compares the lighthouse to a giant who wades out into an ocean that is stormy and dangerous.

Explanation:

• The lines are from the poem, The Lighthouse by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The poem is believed to be inspired by the Portland Head Light, Maine.
• Similes and metaphors are literary devices used to highlight the similarities between two things.
• Metaphors convey an implicit comparison, without using literal language.
• Similes specifically use the words like or as to show a direct comparison. For example,

1. The water well was as dry as a bone.
2. When the teacher entered the class, the 6th-grade students were fighting like cats and dogs.

In the stanza, "Like the great giant Christopher it stands, Upon the brink of the tempestuous wave, Wading far out among the rocks and sands, The night-o'ertaken mariner to save." Longfellow directly states that the size of the lighthouse is comparable to a giant wave on a stormy sea.