"At times I felt so confused that I felt like the stem of a pinwheel surrounded by whir and clatter." Comparing what?
To what?
Simile or Metaphor?

1.the hosts on two opposing mountains stood,  

2.thick as the foliage of the waving wood;  

3.between them an extensive valley lay,  

4.o'er which the gleaming armour pour'd the day,  

5.when from the camp of the philistine foes,

6. dreadful to view, a mighty warrior rose; in the dire deeds of bleeding battle skill'd,

what excerpt? i would generally think a.

the answer is b. the tracer looks harmless in flight, but the pilot’s bitten lips and white knuckles suggest how dangerous it can be.

the third paragraph is the the soltion or ending of a story