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 metaphor in this excerpt?
odysseuss men are compared to fishermen, showing their resourcefulness.
odysseuss men are compared to fishermen, showing their love of the sea.
odysseuss men are compared to caught fish, showing their history.
odysseuss men are compared to caught fish, showing their helplessness.

Explanation:

A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes an implicit, implied, or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated but share some common characteristics. In the given excerpt, Odysseus' men are compared to caught fish. The description of the men "dangling high overhead" and being "borne aloft in spasms" is similar to a fish being "ripped from the surface to dangle wriggling through the air" after being hooked. This comparison emphasizes the men's helplessness as they are at the mercy of a powerful force (similar to a fish caught on a hook).

Answer:

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