Which literary device did F. Scott Fitzgerald employ in this excerpt from The Great Gatsby to make the sentence more poetic So we beat on boats against current borne back ceaselessly into past?

The literary device employed in this excerpt is metaphor.

Here's why:

* Metaphor: A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things without using words like "like" or "as."

* In the excerpt: Fitzgerald compares the characters' struggles against the relentless flow of time (represented by the current) to boats battling against a strong river current.

This metaphor creates a powerful image of the characters being pulled back into the past, unable to escape its influence. It also suggests a sense of futility and the struggle against forces beyond their control.