The Queen of Sheba and King Solomon were known for their great wealth in ancient times. Consider the following excerpt from the story. Why does the author contrast the wealth and pride of these two couples? Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see [the king] pluck at his beard from envy.
a) To illustrate that the poor couple's pride, though they're poor, is equal to the pride of the royal couple, with all of their riches

b) To draw a contrast between the lives of the couples and how the young couple arrived at their current situations

c) To emphasize that the royal couple were wealthy, but they were also greedy, unlike the Youngs, who are generous

d) To insert a humorous side story, designed to lift the reader's spirits momentarily while reading about the Youngs’ situation of poverty

Read the excerpts from part 3 of "an occurrence at owl creek bridge." a rising sheet of water curved over him, fell down upon him, blinded him, strangled him! the cannon had taken a hand in the game. as he shook his head free from the commotion of the smitten water he heard the deflected shot humming through the air ahead, and in an instant it was cracking and smashing the branches in the forest beyond. *** a whiz and rattle of grapeshot among the branches high above his head roused him from his dream. the baffled cannoneer had fired him a random farewell. he sprang to his feet, rushed up the sloping bank, and plunged into the forest. *** as he is about to clasp her he feels a stunning blow upon the back of the neck; a blinding white light blazes all about him with a sound like the shock of a cannon—then all is darkness and silence! what function does the motif of the cannon serve throughout the story? the cannon continually pushes farquhar to continue his journey through his dream and back to reality. the cannon encourages farquhar to investigate whether his escape was a dream or reality. the cannon reminds farquhar that time is subjective and encourages him to move quickly in order to reach his home. the cannon represents farquhar’s romantic dream that he escaped his execution and will return home.