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?

Odysseus’s men are compared to fishermen, showing their resourcefulness.
Odysseus’s men are compared to fishermen, showing their love of the sea.
Odysseus’s men are compared to caught fish, showing their history.
Odysseus’s men are compared to caught fish, showing their helplessness.

Answer 1

Option C is correct

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

Explanation:

• In the stanza, "in anguish, calling my name for the last time," the poet mentions the helplessness of the army
• "Calling my name last time" suggests that the army was in trouble
• There were no chances of their survival, they were near defeat and death at the hand of the enemy.