Question

Read the following lines:

The Somerset, British man-of-war
A phantom ship, with each mast and spar
Across the moon, like a prison-bar,

Which of the following statements best explains the meaning of the figurative language, "like a prison-bar"?

The British ship is a phantom, like the moon, that cannot be imprisoned.
The night is a prison to everyone, the British, the colonists, and even the ship.
The mast looks like it imprisons the moon, like the British imprison the colonists.
The Somerset is sailing away from the bay, fighting for its freedom.

Answer 1

Answer: The mast looks like it imprisons the moon, like the British imprison the colonists.

In this passage, the "phantom ship" is described. The text states that the mast and spar of the ship look as if they were imprisoning the moon. Therefore, the author compares this to a "prison-bar." It is possible that this is a reference to the way the British imprison the colonists.

Answer 2

The statement which best explains the meaning of the figurative language, "like a prison-bar" is that the mast looks like it imprisons the moon, like the British imprison the colonists. (option C)

What is figurative language?

The term figurative language is used to describe the way writers employ words and phrases with meanings different from the original ones. In the excerpt we are analyzing here, the author uses figurative language to compare two different things.

He says the mast looks like a prison bar when seen against the moon. The purpose of such a comparison between mast and bar is to emphasize the idea of imprisonment of the colonists.

With the information above in mind, we can select option C as the correct answer.

Learn more about figurative language here:

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