Question

The following line from "A Man About Town," by O. Henry, is an example of what literary device?A new sensation is the breath in his nostrils…

A. irony.
B. alliteration.
C. a metaphor.
D. a simile.

Answer 1

The answer would be C. a metaphor. It is a metaphor because it compares “a new sensation” to “a breath in his nostrils”. It is comparing two things, but does not use the words “like” or “as” so it it not a simile, therefore making it a metaphor.

Answer 2

The line "A new sensation is the breath in his nostrils" is a metaphor (C). A metaphor is when two things are compared without using like or as. In this case "a new sensation" was being compared to "breath in his nostrils."

Hope this helped!

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