Read this excerpt from "the open boat" by stephen crane:
the correspondent looked over his shoulder at the captain. his face was hidden, and he seemed to be asleep. he looked at the babes of the sea. they certainly were asleep. so, being bereft of sympathy, he leaned a little way to one side and swore softly into the sea.
which figure of speech is used in the phrase "babes of the sea"?
pace
simile
diction
metaphor
syntax

The figure of speech used in the phrase "babes of the sea" is (D) a metaphor. A metaphor is a figure of speech that consists in a comparison. This comparison is made between two things that are not related but have a certain characteristic in common. In this case, "babes" is not used in its original meaning but the author refers to his feeling of insignificance when compared to the nature.

metaphor

Explanation:

Metaphor is a figure of language in which one uses a word or an expression in a sense that is not very common, revealing a relation of similarity between two terms.  In this case, in the expression "babies of the sea" the word "babies" is not really referring to a baby, but the fragility before the world.

correct!

hope this !

~coco