Question

The following quote from “An Ancient Gesture” is an example of what literary element? “I thought, as I wiped my eyes on the corner of my apron: Penelope did this too. And more than once: you can’t keep weaving all day And undoing it all through the night;”

A. personification
B. metaphor
C. allusion
D. onomatopoeia

Answer 1

Hello, the answer to this question would be B. Hope this helps :)

Answer 2

Answer: C) Allusion.

Explanation: allusion is a literary device that consists in making a brief reference to a person, an event (historical, political, cultural, etc), or a place. In the given quote from "An Ancient Gesture" we can see an example of an allusion to Penelope (the wife of Odysseus in "The Odyssey") who said that she would choose a husband when she finished weaving a burial shroud, but she kept weaving all day and undoing it by night.