Question

Directions: Use the following excerpt from Walden to choose the best answer.

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to do die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartanlike as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swatch and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion. For most men, it appears to me, are in a strange uncertainty about it, whether it is of the devil or of God, and have somewhat hastily concluded that is the chief end of man here to 'glorify God and enjoy him forever." Which literary device is featured in the following lines? "I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartanlike as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swatch and shave close, to drive life into a corner..."
A.) parallel structure
B.) synecdoche
C.) imagery
D.) personification
E.) rhetorical question​

Answer 1

The literary device used in the excerpt from Thoreau's Walden is imagery, which vividly brings to life Thoreau’s philosophies about deeply engaging with life's experiences.

Step-by-step explanation:

The literary device featured in the lines "I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartanlike as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swatch and shave close, to drive life into a corner..." from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden is imagery. These words paint a vivid picture for the reader that makes Thoreau’s abstract philosophical ideas about living a deeper, more meaningful life more tangible and understandable. The act of 'sucking out the marrow of life' suggests a full, robust engagement with life, giving the reader a strong visual and tactile sense of that engagement. The phrase invokes the physical act of getting nourishment to its fullest by using every part of something, implying Thoreau's desire to experience life in its entirety without leaving anything to waste. Furthermore, living 'sturdily and Spartanlike' evokes the austere and disciplined lifestyle of the Spartans, emphasizing the purposeful nature of this approach to life.