Question

"The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe."

What figure of speech is Kennedy using in this sentence, and what does he want to make his listeners feel?

He is using irony to suggest sympathy for Americans who have died in battle over the years.
He is using hyperbole to make listeners feel inspired by the sacrifices of those who have gone before them.
He is using personification to compare live Americans with those who have died fighting for their country.
He is using simile to compare audience members with Americans who have fought and died for their country.

Answer 1

Hyperbole!

Step-by-step explanation:

Irony is often used in comedy, and it's a sad tone, so irony couldn't be it.

Personification just doesn't make sense.

And if can't be simile because the sentence doesn't use 'like' or 'as'.

{Hope this helped! <3}\\

-Addi

Answer 2

The correct answer is B, hyperbole.

When he says that the graves surround the globe, we are not supposed to understand it literally. Hyperbole is a figure of speech which exaggerates something, elevating the mood and tone. The literal meaning is that those young Americans have fought and died for their country all over the world. The emotional undercurrent is that their sacrifice for their country was so great that it encompasses the world.

I've seen some answers on the internet that claim the right answer is C, personification. This isn't true. Kennedy doesn't say that the graves answered the call. He says that those young people answered the call, so there's no room for personification here.