What is a comparison over the course of a poem? attitude, extended metaphor, or figurative meaning

Bartleby the scrivener what does the narrator believe that he has learned as a result of his experiences with bartleby?

What is the relationship between paragraph 2 paragraph 3 through 29?

[he] let his gaze wander to the swirling water of the stream racing madly beneath his feet. a piece of dancing driftwood caught his attention and his eyes followed it down the current. how slowly it appeared to move! what a sluggish stream! what contrasting words are used to describe the stream in this passage?