Read the excerpt from "Keynote Address." Why, when our maturing society welcomes and appreciates art as never before, are poets and painters so preponderantly hostile? Which rhetorical device does Inouye use in this sentence?
Answer
A
metonymy, in using "art" to stand for all artists
B
synecdoche, because he uses "poets and painters" to stand for art in general
C
irony, because a "hostile" reaction to greater appreciation seems contradictory
D
metaphor, in comparing "society" to "art"
Explanation
Inouye contrasts society’s growing appreciation of art with poets’ and painters’ hostility. That tension is ironic because artists might be expected to welcome greater appreciation, yet the sentence says they are hostile. The correct choice is irony, because a “hostile” reaction to greater appreciation seems contradictory.
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