Question

Read the excerpt from Part 4 of The Odyssey.

I happened to glance aft at ship and oarsmen
and caught sight of their arms and legs, dangling
high overhead. Voices came down to me
in anguish, calling my name for the last time.

A man surfcasting on a point of rock
for bass or mackerel, whipping his long rod
to drop the sinker and the bait far out,
will hook a fish and rip it from the surface
to dangle wriggling through the air:

so these

were borne aloft in spasms toward the cliff.

Which statement best explains the simile in this excerpt?

Odysseus’s men are compared to fishermen, showing their resourcefulness.
Odysseus’s men are compared to fishermen, showing their love of the sea.
Odysseus’s men are compared to caught fish, showing their history.
Odysseus’s men are compared to caught fish, showing their helplessness.

Answer 1

Odysseus’s men are compared to caught fish, showing their helplessness.

Answer 2

Answer: D) Odysseus’s men are compared to caught fish, showing their helplessness.

Explanation: A simile is a figure of speech that consists in making a comparison between elements that aren't obviously related, this comparison is made using the words "like" or "as." In the given excerpt from "The Odyssey" we can see an example of a simile that compares Odysseuss's men to caught fish, specially in the phrase: "A man surfcasting on a point of rock for bass or mackerel, whipping his long rod to drop the sinker and the bait far out, will hook a fish and rip it from the surface to dangle wriggling through the air."