Question

(02.04 mc) read the excerpt from the poem \the arrow and the song\ by henry wadsworth longfellow. then, answer the question that follows. i shot an arrow into the air, it fell to earth, i knew not where; for, so swiftly it flew, the sight could not follow it in its flight. i breathed a song into the air, it fell to earth, i knew not where; for who has sight so keen and strong. that it can follow the flight of song? long, long afterward, in an oak i found the arrow, still unbroke; and the song, from beginning to end, i found again in the heart of a friend. which of the following statements best explains the poets use of figurative language? the poet incorporates personification to compare a poem to a hunter, looking for a reader. the poet uses a metaphor to compare a poem to an arrow, saying that the writer never knows to whom it will mean something. the poet uses meiosis to understate the power of a good poem. the poet uses hyperbole to exaggerate the speed of an arrow when it is released by the bow.

Explanation:

The poet compares a poem (referred to as a song) to an arrow. Just as an arrow is shot and the shooter doesn't know where it will land and who will find it, a poem is sent out into the world and the poet doesn't know who will be affected by it. This is a metaphor. There is no personification (giving human - like qualities to non - human things in a way that compares a poem to a hunter), no metonymy (substituting a closely related term), and the speed of the arrow is not the main focus of the figurative language in terms of hyperbole.

Answer:

The poet uses a metaphor to compare a poem to an arrow, saying that the writer never knows to whom it will mean something.