Question

excerpt of \song of myself\
by walt whitman

6
i wish i could translate the hints about the dead young men and women
and the hints about old men and mothers, and the offspring taken soon out of their laps.

what do you think has become of the young and old men?
and what do you think has become of the women and children?

they are alive and well somewhere,
the smallest sprout shows there is really no death,
and if ever there was it led forward life, and does not wait at the end to arrest it,
and ceasd the moment life appeard.

which syntactical device is being used in the highlighted selection in the passage?

rhetorical question - a question posed to the audience for dramatic effect
simile - a comparison between two things using \like\ or \as\
allusion - a reference to a historic event, a person, or another famous work

Explanation:

Analyze the highlighted text

The highlighted text in the excerpt from Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" reads:
"What do you think has become of the young and old men?
And what do you think has become of the women and children?"

These lines are structured as questions addressed directly to the reader.

Identify the literary device

We evaluate the highlighted lines against the provided multiple-choice options:

• Rhetorical Question Analysis: A rhetorical question is a question asked for dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer. Whitman asks these questions to prompt reflection on life, death, and continuity, rather than expecting a literal reply.
• Simile: There is no comparison using "like" or "as" in the highlighted lines.
• Allusion: The lines do not reference a specific historical event, person, or other famous literary work.

Therefore, the device being used is a rhetorical question.

Answer:

• rhetorical question - a question posed to the audience for dramatic effect (Correct answer)
• simile - a comparison between two things using "like" or "as"
• allusion - a reference to a historic event, a person, or another famous work