The stylistic element used in the passage is incongruity. It is a form of satire or humor. Incongruity is used in an unsuitable time. For example, If a man were in a court room and belched loudly while receiving his sentence, that would be a use of incongruity. Another example would be if at a royal wedding the groom's pants fell down in the middle of the ceremony.
The progression from wayfarers to spacefarers demonstrate that people have advanced to the point where not only do we travel on foot but Astronauts and Cosmonauts are able to travel in space. This shows how technology has improved.
Analogy compares two things directly and do not use the words "like" or "as"
Only Metaphor uses "like" or "as"
Hyperbole is like an exaggeration.
