It’s the 3rd option. The clock is representing their lives ticking away slowly
The author is applying imagery by using SHrill, ruSHing, Steam whiStle, it is referring to the sound and image of a train, and the Steam whiStle is to imply that of the steam rising from the train. now the r in RuSHing is to signify the speed or power of the locomotive.
The answer would be they evoke an emotional response from readers.
The main character in the post-apocalyptic world of Ray Bradbury's 'There Will Come Soft Rains' is a house. Humans are extinct, apparently as a result of a nuclear bomb. Bradbury uses personification, or the imposition of human characteristics on inanimate objects, to bring the house to life.
The one you selected is the right choice. The first choice.
