Read the passage from the poem can't by edgar guest. can't is the father of feeble endeavor, the parent of terror and half hearted which best analyzes the effect of the metaphor in the passage? it the reader understand the relationship between self-doubt and failure. it the reader understand the origins, or history, of the word can't. it the reader understand that parents are more likely to use the word than their children. it the reader understand how frightening the word is.

The answer is: it helps the reader understand how frightening the word is.

In the excerpt from the poem "Can't," by Edgar Albert Guest, the author makes reference to the terror of the word "can't." He describes it as the creator of weak effort, intense fear and unenthusiastic work. In the other lines, Guest claims that "can't is the worst word that's written or spoken," and depicts it as harmful for the soul, since it takes away people's courage, hopes and dreams.

the right answer is...

It helps the reader understand the relationship between self-doubt and failure.

- "the answers are a and b.  

when cullen speaks of planting while others reap, and standing "abject and mute," he is speaking about the racial injustices present in american society. as these injustices have changed over time, the american identity  has also shifted. those changes are, in turn, reflected in american literature."