PART A: Which of the following best explains the simile Thoreau uses to critique the Maine-Texas cable?
A. Thoreau compares Maine to a foolish man attempting to talk to a
deaf woman, mocking the design of new technology and revealing
his own doubts about whether it will really work.
B. Thoreau compares Texas to a deaf woman, commenting on the
fairly recent proclamation of Texas as a state; he is essentially
calling the cable useless, as the new state will be unlikely to listen
anyway.
C. Thoreau compares the cable to the ear trumpet because while he
thinks the cable is useful, it does not close the distance between
the two states, just as the instrument does not change the
woman's natural state of hearing.
D. Thoreau compares the cable to a man with nothing to say to a
deaf woman, supporting his idea that technology may make
communication easier but not necessarily meaningful.