The Skater of Ghost Lake

by William Rose Benet

(1) Ghost Lake’s a dark lake, a deep lake and cold:

(2) Ice black as ebony, frostily scrolled;

(3) Far in its shadows a faint sound whirs;

(4) Steep stand the sentineled deep, dark firs.

(5) A brisk sound, a swift sound, a ring-tinkle-ring;

(6) Flit-flit,--a shadow with a stoop and a swing,

(7) Flies from the shadow through the crackling cold.

(8) Ghost Lake’s a deep lake, a dark lake and old!

(9) Leaning and leaning with a stride and a stride,

(10) hands locked behind him, scarf blowing wide,

(11) Jeremy Randall skates, skates late,

(12) Star for a candle, moon for a mate.

"The Skater of Ghost Lake", by William Rose Benét

Question
Use lines 1 to 12 to answer the question.

What is the effect of the figurative language in these lines?

(1 point)
Responses

The onomatopoeia helps the reader imagine the soft sounds of the wind.
The onomatopoeia helps the reader imagine the soft sounds of the wind.

The simile helps the reader understand how Jeremy looks as he skates.
The simile helps the reader understand how Jeremy looks as he skates.

The simile emphasizes the darkness of the lake.
The simile emphasizes the darkness of the lake.

The personification highlights how quickly Jeremy skates.
The personification highlights how quickly Jeremy skates.
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1 answer

In the given lines from "The Skater of Ghost Lake," the figurative language primarily contributes to the imagery and ambiance of the scene. Let's evaluate the effects of the figurative language based on the options provided:

  1. The onomatopoeia helps the reader imagine the soft sounds of the wind. - This response is not accurate as the lines focus more on the sounds of skating and movement rather than the wind.

  2. The simile helps the reader understand how Jeremy looks as he skates. - This response is incorrect, as there are no similes present in these lines that describe Jeremy's appearance directly.

  3. The simile emphasizes the darkness of the lake. - Although there is a strong emphasis on the lake's darkness, this option incorrectly attributes that effect to simile when it may involve imagery and metaphor rather than a direct comparison.

  4. The personification highlights how quickly Jeremy skates. - This statement could be misleading as there doesn’t seem to be a strong example of personification directly highlighting Jeremy's speed in the provided lines.

Given these evaluations, none of the provided responses perfectly encapsulate the effect of the figurative language in the lines. The use of imagery and sound contributes to establishing a mysterious and somewhat eerie atmosphere around Ghost Lake and the character of Jeremy Randall as he skates.

Thus, while none of the answers fully captures the overall effect of the figurative language, one could argue that the first response about onomatopoeia related to the sounds could hint at the auditory imagery present in the text, though not perfectly fitting.

In conclusion, none of the responses outright address the full spectrum of effects created by the figurative language, but the imagery about the lake and the movement does more to establish the mood than any singular figure of speech does in isolation.