Read the words of the Messenger in Antigone, Part 5. For when a man has lost
what gives him pleasure, I don’t include him
among the living—he’s a breathing corpse.
Pile up a massive fortune in your home,
if that’s what you want—live like a king.
If there’s no pleasure in it, I’d not give
to any man a vapour’s shadow for it,
not compared to human joy.

What is the effect of the figurative language in this passage?

A) The oxymoron “breathing corpse” implies that someone who lives joylessly is not really alive.

B) The simile “live like a king” suggests that someone living without joy can still experience a rewarding life.

C) The euphemism “a vapor’s shadow” shows that those who live joylessly can hide their pain.

D) The allusion “what gives him pleasure” indicates that joy can be found by looking outside one’s self.