Which of the following best describes the effect of the use of figurative language in the poem? (Sonnet 18 - Shakespeare) From Commonlit

A

The speaker uses metaphors to compare the summer to his beloved, degrading them for being harsh and fleeting.

B

The speaker personifies the sun, making it appear like a friendly individual that one would want to be compared to.

C

The speaker personifies death to create conflict as he battles death for his beloved.

D

The speaker uses high diction throughout the poem to make his relationship to his beloved appear informal.

Answer: A) The speaker uses metaphors to compare the summer to his beloved, degrading them for being harsh and fleeting.

Explanation: In this sonnet Shakespeare uses a long metaphor to compare the summer to the person he loves ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"), but he starts to bring to light all the negatives aspects about summer, like sometimes it's windy or too hot, or not absolutely beautiful, and that it is too short ("Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date, Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines"), he says all of this to emphasize that the perfection and beauty of his beloved cannot be compare not even with the summer.