Question

The quote is an example of a metaphor. Explain why.
"We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us."

Answer 1

I'm not sure of the context, but I believe that the metaphor is describing some kind of journey or path as a railroad. (Contrarily, it could also be that since railroads cannot ride people, the metaphor is comparing the railroad with the characterstics of something that could ride)

Answer 2

This quote comes from a Transcendentalist work. The idea is that we are slaves to the technology that we have created to serve us. It is a metaphor because the railroad does not literally ride upon us, but the technology that came with Industrialization changed every facet of society, perhaps without society's consent.