What makes a letter a special kind of written argument?

Read the following excerpt from life on the mississippi by mark twain. no girl could withstand his charms. he "cut out" every boy in the village. when his boat blew up at last, it diffused a tranquil contentment among us such as we had not known for months. but when he came home the next week, alive, renowned, and appeared in church all battered up and bandaged, a shining hero, stared at and wondered over by everybody, it seemed to us that the partiality of providence for an undeserving reptile had reached a point where it was open to criticism. how does twain's use of understatement serve his purpose? be sure to use specific details from the text to support your answer.

Read the sentence from barrio boy by ernesto galarza. "now, ernesto, you are the man of the family. you will take care of your mother until we are together in sacramento. which statement best describes the figurative language used in these sentences? a simile is used to compare ernesto to a man. a simile is used to paint a picture of family life. a metaphor is used to compare a man and his family. a metaphor is used to paint a picture of responsibility.

The major was a little man with upturned mustaches. he had been in the war in libya and wore two wound-stripes. he said that if the thing went well he would see that i was decorated. i said i hoped it would go well but that he was too kind. i asked him if there was a big dugout where the drivers could stay and he sent a soldier to show me. i went with him and found the dugout, which was very good. the drivers were with it and i left them there. what effect does hemingway’s limited use of adjectives have? it slows down the narration by interrupting the action. it makes the few descriptive words he does use more vivid and forceful. it makes the narrator seem powerless and insincere. it prevents the readers from filling in the details with their own experiences.