Question

Read the sentence from Patrick Henry's Speech to the Virginia Convention.

Why is this sentence an example of the use of metaphor?
I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience.
• A. The sentence compares two unlike things using "like" or "as
B. The sentence gives human qualities to nonhuman objects.
O c. The word "lamp" is equal to the word "experience.
O D. The word "experience" is a detail that appeals to the senses

Answer 1

A is wrong for obvious reasons, it does not use like or as

b is not it either as it really isn't putting human qualities to nonhuman objects
(experience isn't really just a human quality I believe)

d doesn't have anything to do with it being a metaphor so C is it

Answer 2

The answer is C. The word "lamp" is equal to the word "experience".

Step-by-step explanation:

From this sentence it is clear that Patrick Henry is comparing the lamp which guides his feet to the lamp which is his experience. The sentence from his speech cannot be a simile as he does not use the words "like" or "as". So A. cannot be the answer. This is a metaphor.

If you're curious how I got this answer, then I would explain it like this. The way I would look at it, Patrick Henry is in a dark room illuminated by the lamp he carries. The dark room represents an unknown knowledge. While the lamp represents his wisdom or experience that he uses to interpret the space around him. So the experience(lamp) is used to guide his feet(dark room).

I hope this helps!