Excerpt from life on the mississippi by mark twain how do phrases such as "port bow" and "gauge-" "roosters" affect the passage? won't let me write the real word used for rooster, they serve to answer questions that twain knows the reader will have when faced with a passage on steamboats. they create a second, symbolic level of meaning that suggests how much of what happens on the ship is merely for show. they give the passage authenticity and highlight twain's own expertise and knowledge of steamboats. they add humor to the passage, highlighting twain's understanding that such technical language will confuse the reader. they give the passage authenticity and highlight twain's own expertise and knowledge of steamboats. (just in case anyone need this) took the test