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Question

Difficulty: MediumFigurative Language Devices

In Emily Dickinson's poem "I like to see it lap the Miles" (written c. 1862), the speaker describes the movement of a train:

I like to see it lap the Miles –
And lick the Valleys up –
And stop to feed itself at Tanks –
And then – prodigious step

Around a Pile of Mountains –
And supercilious peer
In Shacks – along the Road –

Which of the following best describes how the figurative comparison of the train to a living creature functions in these lines?

  1. It characterizes the industrial machine as a powerful and animated presence that interacts dynamically with the landscape.Answer
  2. B
    It provides a literal description of how draft animals were used to transport fuel along nineteenth-century railways.
  3. C
    It identifies the train as a metaphor simply to catalog its mechanical parts without establishing a specific mood.
  4. D
    It expresses Emily Dickinson's personal dread of industrialization and her biographical attempts to stop railway construction.
  5. E
    It establishes a static, somber tone that remains completely unchanged throughout the entire journey.

Answer

The correct answer is that the figurative comparison of the train to a living creature characterizes the industrial machine as a powerful and animated presence that interacts dynamically with the landscape.
The correct answer is that the figurative comparison of the train to a living creature characterizes the industrial machine as a powerful and animated presence that interacts dynamically with the landscape. By describing the train's movements with verbs like 'lap' and 'lick' and attributing a 'supercilious' attitude to it, the speaker transforms a mechanical object into an active, lifelike participant in the natural world.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the figurative language used in the passage to describe the train.
The speaker uses animate verbs ('lap', 'lick', 'feed') and human-like attitudes ('supercilious peer') to describe the train, which is a form of personification and zoomorphism.
Understanding the specific figurative devices is the first step to analyzing their function.
2
Evaluate the functional effect of these devices on the depiction of the train and its setting.
Instead of presenting the train as a cold, static machine, the animalistic imagery breathes life into it, showing it actively interacting with, consuming, and dominating the surrounding valleys and mountains.
This links the identification of the device to its analytical function within the context of the poem.
3
Compare the analyzed function against the given options to identify the correct interpretation.
The option describing the machine as a powerful, animated presence matches the dynamic, lively description in the text, while other options rely on literal readings, simple labeling, conflating speaker with author, or misinterpreting the tone.
This isolates the correct choice while eliminating distractors based on specific analytical errors.

Key Concept

Function of Figurative Language (Personification and Metaphor)
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Figurative Language Devices

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