Figure Of Speech
1 Identify and explain the figure of speech in the following lines from the extract:
- ”Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,”
- “Healthy, free, the world before me,”
- “The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.”
- Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good- fortune,”
- “Henceforth I whimper no more , postpone no more ,need nothing,”
- Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,”
- “I do not want the constellations any nearer,”
- “I know they are very well where they are,”
- “I know they suffice for those who belong to them.”
- “Still here I carry my old delicious burdens,”
- “I carry them , men and women ,I carry them with me wherever I go,”
- “I am fill’d with them, and I will fill them in return.”
i. Ans:- a. Alliteration - The sound of ‘t’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
b. Metaphor- The ‘road’ has been indirectly compared to the ‘road of life’.
ii. Ans:- a. Inversion – The words in the line have been rearranged for poetic effect. The correct order of the words should be “The healthy ,free world before me .”
iii. Ans: -a. Alliteration – The sound of ‘I’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
b. Personification – The road has been given the animate quality of ‘leading’.
iv. Ans:- a. Repetition – The words ‘I’ and ‘good-fortune’ have been repeated to emphasise that the poet believes in making his own luck.
v. Ans:- a. Alliteration – The sound of ‘n’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
b. Repetition – The words ‘no more’ have been repeated to emphasise that the poet won’t whine or postpone his journey anymore.
vi. Ans :- a. Alliteration – The sound of ‘k’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
b. Consonance – The sound of the consonant‘s’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
vii. Ans:- a. Consonance – The sound of the consonant ‘t’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
viii. Ans:- a. Alliteration – The sound of ‘w’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
b. Repetition – The words ‘they are’ have been repeated to emphasise that the constellations (influential people) are meant to be where they are.
ix. Ans:- a. Alliteration – The sound of the syllable ‘th’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
x. Ans:- a. Paradox – The line is self –contradictory, because ‘burdens’ cannot be ‘delicious’, meaning that one cannot relish burdens.
xi. Ans:- a. Alliteration – The sound of ‘m’ and ‘w’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
b. Antithesis – Two opposite words ‘men’ and ‘women’ are placed in the same line.
c. Repetition – The words ‘I carry them ‘have been repeated to emphasise that the poet takes with him , the sweet memories of the people, wherever he goes.
xii. Ans:- a. Repetition – The word ‘them’ has been repeated to refer to the people the poet meet on his way.
i. ”Weavers, weaving at break of day,”
ii. “Why do you weave a garment so gay?....”
iii. “Blue as the wing of a halcyon wild,”
iv. “We weave the robes of a new- born child.”
v. “Weavers, weaving at fall of night,”
vi. “Why do you weave a garment so bright?.....”
vii. “Like the plumes of a peacock, purple and green,”
viii. “We weave the marriage –veils of a queen.”
ix. “Weavers, weaving solemn and still,”
x. “What do you weave in the moonlight chill…..”
xi. “White as a feather and white as a cloud,”
xii. “We weave a dead man’s funeral shroud.”
i. Ans:- a. Alliteration – The sound of the letter ‘w’ has been repeated for poetic effect.
b. Metaphor – The ‘start of a new day (break of day) has been indirectly compared to the ‘start of a new life.’
ii. Ans:- a. Alliteration – The sound of the letter ‘w’ and ‘g’ has been repeated for poetic effect.
iii. Ans:- a. Alliteration – The sound of the letter ‘w’ has been repeated for poetic effect.
b. Inversion – The order of the words has been rearranged for poetic effect. The correct order should be ‘Blue as the wing of a wild halcyon.’
c. Simile – The ‘colour of the garment’ has been directly compared to the ‘blue wing of a halcyon’ with the use of the word ‘as’.
iv. Ans:- a. Alliteration – The sound of the letter ‘w’ has been repeated for poetic effect.
v. Ans:- a. Alliteration – The sound of the letter ‘w’ has been repeated for poetic effect.
b. Consonance – The consonant sound ‘t’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
c. Metaphor – The ‘beginning of night or dusk (fall of night)’ has been indirectly compared to the ‘beginning of youth.’
vi. Ans:- a. Alliteration – The sound of the letter ‘w’ has been repeated for poetic effect.
b. Consonance – The consonant sound ‘t’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
vii. Ans:- a. Alliteration – The sound of the letter ‘p’ has been repeated for poetic effect.
b. Consonance – The consonant sound ‘k’ and ‘I’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
c. Inversion – The order of the words has been rearranged for poetic effect. The correct order should be ‘Like the purple and green plumes of a peacock.’
d. Simile – The ‘bright garment’ has been directly compared to the ‘purple and green plumes of a peacock’ with the use of the word ‘like’.
viii. Ans:- a. Alliteration – The sound of the letter ‘w’ has been repeated for poetic effect.
ix. Ans:- a. Alliteration – The sound of the letter ‘w’ and ‘s’ has been repeated for poetic effect.
b. Consonance – The consonant sound ‘I’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
x. Ans:- a. Alliteration – The sound of the letter ‘w’ has been repeated for poetic effect.
b. Consonance – The consonant sound ‘I’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
c. Inversion – The order of the words has been rearranged for poetic effect. The correct order should be ‘What do you weave in the chill moonlight.’
d. Metaphor – The ‘cold night (midnight chill)’ has been indirectly compared to the ‘end of life (death)’.
xi. Ans:- a. Alliteration – The sound of the letter ‘w’ has been repeated for poetic effect.
b. Repetition – The words ‘white as a ‘ have been repeated in the line to compare the whiteness of the shroud to a feather and a cloud.
c. Simile – The ‘whiteness of the funeral shroud ‘ has been directly compared to ‘a white feather ‘and ‘a white cloud’ with the use of the word ‘as’.
xii. Ans:- a. Alliteration – The sound of the letter ‘w’ has been repeated for poetic effect.
b. Consonance – The consonant sound ‘d’ and ‘r’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
- No stir in the air, no stir in the sea
- The Ship was still as she could be,
- Her sails from heaven received no motion,
- Without either sign or sound of their shock,
- So little they rose, so little they fell,
- On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung
- And over the waves its warning rung.
- When the Rock was hid by the surge’s swell,
- And then they knew the perilous Rock,
- Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair.
- Down sunk the bell with a gurgling sound.
- The devil below was ringing his knell.
- On the deck the Rover takes his stand.
- Oh Christ!
- The Sun in the heaven was shining gay
- All things were joyful on that day
- The sea-birds scream’ d as they wheel’ d round,
- A darker speck on the ocean green;
- It made him whistle , it made him sing;
- His heart was mirthful to excess,
- Quoth he, “My men ,put out the boat,
- And to the Inchcape Rock they go ;
- Sir Ralph bent over from the boat,
- Down sank the bell with a gurgling sound.
- The bubbles rose and burst around;
- Quote Sir Ralph,
- “He felt the cheering power of spring,”
- “Now where we are I cannot tell,”
- “He curst himself in his despair;”
1. a. Alliteration :- The close repetition of the sound of ‘s’.
b. Repetition:- The words ‘No stir in the’ have been repeated in the line.
2. a. Alliteration:- Close repetition of syllable ‘s’
b. Personification:- The ship has been personified with the use o the feminine pronoun ‘she’.
c. Simile:- The slight movements made by the ship are compared to complete stillness with the use of the word ‘as’.
3. a. Inversion :-The order of the words has been rearranged for a poetic effect. The correct order should be ‘Her sails received no motion from heaven’.
b. Personification:- The ship has been personified with the use of the feminine pronoun ‘her’.
4. a. Alliteration:- The close repetition of the sound of ‘s’.
5.a.Antithesis:-Opposite words ‘rose’ and ‘fell’ have been used in the line to show the movement of the waves.
b. Repetition:-The words ‘So little they’ have been repeated in the line for a poetic effect.
6. a. Inversion:-The order of words has been rearranged for a poetic effect. The correct order should be ‘It floated and swung on a buoy in the storm.’
b. Personification:- The ‘Inchcape bell’ has been given the animate quality of ‘floating’ and ‘swinging.’
7. a. Alliteration:- The close repetition of the sound of ‘w’.
b. Inversion:- The order of words has been rearranged for a poetic effect. The correct order should be ‘And its warning rung over the waves.’
8. Alliteration:- The close repetition of the sound of ‘w’ and ‘s’.
9. Alliteration:- The close repetition of the sound of the syllable ‘th’.
10. Alliteration:- The repetition of consonant sounds ‘R’ and ‘h’.
11.Onomatopoeia:- The word ‘gurgling’ brings out the effect of the sound of sinking of the bell.
12.Metaphor:- Indirect comparison (likening) of the sound of the funeral bell (knell) with the Inchcape Bell.
13.Inversion:- The word order is changed. The proper order is: ‘The Rover takes his stand on the deck.’
14. Apostrophe:- The speaker speaks directly to someone who is not present (Christ).
_ An exclamatory figure of speech.
15. Transferred Epithet:- The epithet ‘gay’ has been transferred from ‘people’ to the ‘sun’ .The sun is not happy; it is the people who are happy because of the sunlit day.
16.Personification:- The ‘things’ refer to living as well as non-living things. The animate quality of being ‘joyful’ has been given to inanimate objects.
17. a. Alliteration:- The close repetition of the sound of ‘s’.
b. Consonance:- The sound of the consonant ‘d’ has been repeated in the line.
18.Inversion:- The order of words has been rearranged for a poetic effect. The correct order should be ‘A darker speck on the green ocean.’
19. a. Onomatopoeia:- The word ‘whistle’ denotes the sound made while whistling.
b. Repetition:- The words ‘It made him’ have been repeated for a poetic effect.
20. a. Alliteration:- The close repetition of the sound of ‘h’.
b. Synecdoche:- (part for Whole) It is sir Ralph who was ‘mirthful to excess’, not just his heart
21. a. Alliteration:- The close repetition of the sound of ‘m’.
b. Consonance:- The sound of the consonant ‘t’ has been repeated in the line.
c. Inversion :- The order of words has been rearranged for a poetic effect. The correct order should be ‘He quoth, “My men ,put out the boat’,
22. Inversion:- The order of words has been rearranged for a poetic effect. The correct order should be ‘And they go to the Inchcape Rock’
23. Alliteration:- The close repetition of the sound of ‘b’.
24. a. Inversion:- The order of words has been rearranged for a poetic effect. The correct order should be ‘The bell sank down with a gurgling sound.’
b. Onomatopoeia:- The word ‘gurgling’ denotes the sound made by the bell as it sunk in the ocean.
25.Alliteration:- The close repetition of the sound of ‘b’.
26. Inversion:- The order of words has been rearranged for a poetic effect .The correct order should be ‘Sir Ralph quoth….’
27.Personification:- Spring is personified.
28. Inversion:- The proper order is : Now I cannot tell where we are.
29. Irony :- He has suffered the same fate as he had prepared the doom for the others . It is a situation that ends in a different way than a what the Rover had anticipated.
- Is anybody happier because you passed his way?
- This day is almost over ,and its toiling time is through;
- Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?
- Did you give a cheerful greeting to the friend who came along?
- Can you say tonight ,in parting with the days that’s slipping fast,
- That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed?
- Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said;
- Does a man whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead?
- Did you waste the day ,or lose it, was it well or sorely spent?
- Did you leave a trail of kindness or a scar of discontent?
- As you close your eyes in slumber do you think that God would say,
- You have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did today?
- a. Consonance :- The consonant sound ‘z’ is repeated in the line. b. Metaphor:-There is an indirect comparison between ‘passing someone’s way’ and ‘interacting with someone’.
- a. Personification:- ‘Time’ has been given the animate quality of ‘toiling’.
- Tautology:- The words ‘over’ and ‘through’ mean the same, that is, ‘come to an end’.
- Transferred Epithet:- The epithet ‘toiling’ has been transferred from the ‘toiler(person)’ to the ‘time’.
- Inversion:- The order of the words has been rearranged for a poetic effect. The correct order should be ‘Is there anyone to utter a kindly word of you now?’
- Transferred Epithet:- The epithet ‘cheerful’ has been transferred from the ‘person’ to the ‘greeting’.
- Personification:- ‘Days’ have been given the animate quality of ‘slipping fast’.
- a. Repetition:- The word ‘that’ has been repeated in the line.
- Synecdoche (part for whole):- The word ‘brother (part)’ represents all ‘fellow human beings (whole)’.
- Synecdoche (Part for Whole):- It is the ‘person (whole) who is rejoicing, not just his ‘heart’.
- Inversion :- The order of the words has been rearranged for a poetic effect. The correct order should be ‘Does a man , whose hopes were fading , now look ahead with courage?’
- a. Antithesis :- Opposite words ‘well’ and ‘sorely’ have been used in the same line to ask whether the day was spent nicely or painfully.
- Identify and explain the figure of speech used in the given extract.
- “My father travels on the late evening train”
- “Standing among silent commuters in the yellow light”
- “Suburbs slide past his unseeing eyes”
- “His shirt and pants are soggy and his black raincoat”
- “Stained with mud and his bag stuffed with books Is falling apart.”
- “His eyes dimmed by age
Fade homeward through the humid monsoon night.”
- “Now I can see him getting off the train Like a word dropped from a long sentence.”
- “He hurries across the length of the grey platform,”
- “Crosses the railway line , enters the lane,”
- “His chappals are sticky with mud, but he hurries onwards.”
- “Home again , I see him drinking weak tea,
Eating a stale chapati, reading a book.”
- “He goes into the toilet to contemplate Man’s estrangement from a man made world.”
- “The cold water running over his brown hands,”
- A few droplets cling to the greying hair on his wrists.
- “His sullen children have often refused to share
Jokes and secrets with him.”
- “Listening to the static on the radio ,dreaming”
- “Coming out he trembles at the sink,”
Alliteration :- The sound of ‘t’ is repeated in the line for poetic effect.
Alliteration :- The sound of ‘s’ is repeated in the line for poetic effect.
(a) Alliteration :- The sound of ‘s’ is repeated in the line for poetic effect.
(b) Consonance :- The consonant sound ‘s’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
(c) Paradox :- The phrase “unseeing eyes” is self –contradictory.
(d) Personification :- ‘Suburbs’ are given the animate quality of ‘sliding past’.
(e)Transferred Epithet :- The epithet ‘unseeing’ has been transferred from the ‘poet’ to his ‘eyes’.
4.(a) Metaphor :- The ‘black raincoat’ is indirectly compared to the ‘bleakness of the rainy day’.
5. Alliteration :- The sound of ‘s’ is repeated in the line for poetic effect.
6. (a) Alliteration :- The sound of ‘h’ is repeated in the line for poetic effect.
b) Metaphor :- The ‘eyes that fade homeward’ are indirectly compared to ‘weariness’.
c. Transferred Epithet :- The epithet ‘humid’ has been transferred from the weather to the ‘night’.
7. Simile :- The action of the ‘father getting off from the crowded train’ is directly compared to ‘a word being dropped from a long sentence’ with the use of the word ‘like’.
8.(a) Alliteration :- The sound of ‘h’ is repeated in the line for poetic effect.
(b)Metaphor :- The ‘grey platform’ is indirectly compared to the ‘father’ advanced age’.
9. Alliteration :- The sound of ‘I’ is repeated in the line for poetic effect.
10. Alliteration :- The sound of ‘h’ is repeated in the line for poetic effect.
11. Synecdoche (part for Whole) – Here , ‘chapati (part)’ represents ‘food (whole)’.
12. a. Consonance :- The consonant sound ‘t’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
b. Repetition :- The word ‘man’ has been repeated in the line to emphasise that man has been isolated from the world that he himself created.
13. Transferred Epithet :- The epithet ‘brown’ has been transferred from the ‘man’ to his ‘hands’.
14. a. Alliteration :- The sound of ‘h’ has been repeated in the line .
b. Synecdoche (Part for Whole) :- The ‘greying hair (part)’ represents the ‘father’s old age (whole)’.
15. a. Alliteration :- The sound of ‘s’ and ‘h’ has been repeated in the line .
b. Consonance :-The consonant sound ‘s’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
c. Synecdoche (Part for Whole) :- The ‘jokes and secrets (part)’ represent the ‘details of the children ‘s lives (whole) ‘that the children refuse to share .
16. Onamatopoeia :- The word ‘static’ denotes the crackling or hissing sounds coming fro the radio.
17. The effect of the sound of ‘trembling’ is conveyed.
- For many a false man as a friend
- Came knocking all day at my door
- Then felt I like a child that holds
- Much have I thought of life , and seen
- Poor men, think I, need not go up
- My many friends proved all untrue;
- And how their wives do hum like bees
- When I had money, money, O!
- About their work from morn till night.
- Because a man is dead; I dared
- How poor men’s hearts are ever light;
- So much as rich men should come down.
- But now I have no money, O!
- My friends are real, though very few.
- Not speak to let this false world know.
- (a) Alliteration:- Repetition of the sound of ‘f’
(b)Consonance:- Repetition of the consonant sound ‘n’
2.(a) Alliteration:- Repetition of the sound of ‘d’
3.(a) Inversion:- Then I felt like a child that holds
(b)Consonance:- Repetition of the consonant sound ‘L’
4.(a) Inversion:- I have thought much of life , and seen
5.(a) Inversion:- I think poor men need not go up
(b) Alliteration:- Repetition of the sound of ‘n’
(c)Metaphor:- There is an indirect comparison between ‘becoming rich’ and ‘going up’.
6.(a) Inversion:- My many friends all proved untrue;
(b) Alliteration:- Repetition of the sound of ‘m’
7.(a)Simile:- The ‘wives’ have been directly compared to ‘bees’ with the use of the word ‘like’
b.Onomatopoeia:- The word ‘hum’ denotes the sound made by the wives as they constantly talk about their husbands working from morning till night.
8.(a)Repetition:- The word ‘money’ has been repeated in the line to highlight the importance of wealth.
(b) Exclamation:- The poet expresses his strong emotions about ‘money’ in these lines.
9.(a)Antithesis:- Two opposite words ‘morn’ and ‘night’ have been used in the same line to show that the poor men work all day long.
10.(a) Alliteration:- Repetition of the sound of ‘d’
11.(a) Alliteration:-Repetition of the sound of ‘h’
(b) Synecdoche:- The poor men’s ‘hearts (part)’ are not happy and content. It is the ‘poor men (whole)’ who are happy and content.
12.(a) Alliteration:- Repetition of the sound of ‘m’
(b) Metaphor:- There is an indirect comparison between ‘becoming poor’ and ‘coming down’.
13.(a) Alliteration:- Repetition of the sound of ‘n’
(b) Exclamation:- The poet expresses his strong emotions about ‘money’ in these lines.
14.(a) Alliteration:- Repetition of the sound of ‘f’
15.(a) Metonymy:- The poet has used the word ‘world’ to mean the ‘people’ in the world. The word ‘world’ is closely associated with the ‘people’ who live in the world.
- Identify and explain the figures of speech from the poem:
1.“She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies;”
2.“And all that’s best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes;”
3.“Thus mellowed to that tender light Which heaven to gaudy day denies.”
4.“One shade the more, one ray the less, Had half impaired the nameless grace”
5.”Which waves in every raven tress, Or softly lightens o’er her face;”
- ”Where thoughts serenely sweet express, How pure, how dear their dwelling –place.”
- “And on that check, and o’er that brow, So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,”
- “The smiles that win, the tints that glow, But tell of days in goodness spent,”
- “A mind at peace with all below,”
- “ A heart whose love is innocent!”
1 a. Alliteration:- The sound of ‘k’ and ‘s’ has been repeated in the line for a poetic effect.
b. Consonance:- The sound of the consonant ‘s’ has been repeated in the line for a poetic effect.
c. Simile:- The ‘woman’ has been compared to ‘a night of cloudless climes and starry skies.’
2. a. Alliteration:- The sound of ‘b’ has been repeated in the line for a poetic effect.
b. Antithesis:- Two opposite words ‘dark’ and ‘bright’ have been placed in the same line to show how the woman’s beauty is a combination of these two elements.
c. Repetition:- The word ‘her’ has been repeated to refer to the woman’s features and her eyes.
3. a. Alliteration :- The sound of ‘t’, ‘d’ and the syllable ‘th’ has been repeated in the line for a poetic effect.
b. Consonance :- The sound of the consonant ‘t’ and ‘d’ has been repeated in the line for a poetic effect.
c. Inversion :- The order of the words has been changed for a poetic effect. The correct order should be “which heaven denies to gaudy day.”
d. Metonymy :- The word ‘heaven’ is substituted for ‘God’ or the ‘atmosphere’.
e. Personification :- ‘Light’ has been given the animate quality of being ‘tender’ and ‘heaven’ has been given the animate quality of ‘being able to deny’.
4. a. Alliteration:- The sound of ‘h’ has been repeated in the line for a poetic effect.
b. Antithesis:- Two opposite words ‘more’ and ‘less’ have been placed in the same line to convey that had the darkness been more or had the light been less, the harmony would not have been perfect, thus weakening the woman’s beauty.
c. Repetition:- The word ‘one’ has been repeated to show that even the slightest change in darkness or light would have diminished the beauty of the woman.
5. a. Alliteration:- The sound of ‘w’ has been repeated in the line for a poetic effect.
b. Consonance:- The sound of the consonant ‘r’ has been repeated in the line for a poetic effect.
c. Metaphor:- The darkness of the woman’s tress has been indirectly compared to that of a raven’s black and shiny feathers.
6. a. Alliteration:- The sound of ‘s’ and ‘d’ has been repeated in the line for a poetic effect.
b. Consonance:- The sound of the consonants ‘s’ and ‘r’ has been repeated in the line for a poetic effect.
c. Inversion:- The order of the words has been changed for a poetic effect. The correct order should be “where sweet thoughts serenely express”.
d. Metaphor:- The ‘mind’ has been indirectly compared to a ‘dwelling-place’.
e. Personification:- ‘Thoughts’ have been given the animate quality of ‘being able to express’.
f. Repetition:- The word ‘how’ has been repeated twice to emphasise the extent of the purity and dearness of the dwelling –place of the thoughts.
7. a. Alliteration:- The sound of ‘s’ has been repeated in the line for a poetic effect.
b. Consonance:- The sound of the consonant ‘t’ has been repeated in the line for a poetic effect.
c. Personification:- The woman’s ‘cheeks’ and ‘brow’ have been given the animate quality of ‘being expressive’.
d. Repetition:- The word ‘and’ as well as ‘that’ have been repeated to refer to the woman’s cheeks and brow. The word ‘so’ has been repeated to emphasise the extent of the softness and calmness of the woman’s features.
8. a. Alliteration:- The sound of ‘t’ ,‘g’ ,’s’ and the syllable ‘th’ has been repeated in the line for a poetic effect.
b. Consonance:- The sound of the consonant ‘s’ and ‘t’ has been repeated in the line for a poetic effect.
c. Inversion:- The order of the words has been changed for a poetic effect. The correct order should be “But tell of days spent in goodness”.
d. Personification:- ‘Smiles’ have been given the animate quality of ‘winning’ and ‘smiles’ as well as ‘tints’ have been given the animate quality of ‘being able to tell’.
e. Repetition;- The words ‘the’ and ‘that’ have been used to refer to the woman’s winning smiles and glowing tints.
9. a. Personification:- The ‘mind’ has been given the animate quality of ‘being at peace’.
b. Synecdoche(part for whole):- The word ‘mind’ represents the woman, because she is at peace with all below , not just her mind.
10. a. Exclamation:- The words are expressed strongly to display an emotion.
b. Personification:- The ‘heart’ has been given the animate quality of ‘having love that is innocent’.
c. Synecdoche(part for whole):- The word ‘heart’ represents the woman, because it is the woman’s love that is innocent.
- Identify and explain the figures of speech in the extract:
- “My hometown lies calmly amidst the trees,”
- “in summer or winter,”
- “or the wind howling down the gorge.”
- “Just the other day someone died.”
- “In the dreadful silence we wept”
- “looking at the sad wreath of tuberoses.”
- “Life and death, life and death,”
- “The river has a soul.”
- “In the summer it cuts through the land like a torrent of grief.”
- “Sometimes, sometimes, I think it holds its breath seeking a land of fish and stars”
- “It knows, stretching past the town,”
- “from the first drop of rain to dry earth”
- “and mist on the mountaintops,”
- “the river knows”
- “A shrine of happy pictures marks the days of childhood.”
- “Small towns grow with anxiety for the future.”
- “The dead are placed pointing west.”
- “it will walk into the golden east,”
- “into the house of the sun.”
- “life matters, like this.”
- “we all want to talk with the gods.”
- Read the expression ‘a sad wreath of tuberoses’. ‘Is the wreath sad?’ Explain the figure of speech.
- List and explain the metaphorical expressions from the poem. For example, ‘torrent of grief’
1.a. Personification:- The ‘hometown’ has been personified by being given the quality of ‘lying calmly’.
2.a. Antithesis:- Two opposite seasons ‘summer’ and ‘winter’ have been placed in the same line to convey that the hometown never changes despite the changes in the seasons.
3.a. Onomatopoeia:- The word ‘howling’ denotes the sound made by the ‘wind’ as it ‘blows down the gorge’.
4.a. Alliteration:-The sound of the letter ‘d’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
5. a. Alliteration:- The sound of the letter ‘w’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
b. Inversion:- The order of the words has been rearranged for poetic effect. The correct order should be “We wept in the dreadful silence”.
c. Transferred Epithet:- The epithet ‘dreadful’ has been transferred from the ‘situation’ to the ‘silence’.
6. a. Personification:- The ‘wreath of tuberoses’ has been personified giving it the human quality of ‘being sad’.
b. Transferred Epithet:- The epithet ‘sad’ has been transferred from the ‘occasion of someone’s death’ to the ‘wreath of tuberoses’.
7. a. Antithesis:- Two opposite ideas ‘life’ and ‘death’ have been placed in the same line to represent the perpetual cycle of birth and death, thus conveying their temporary nature.
b. Repetition:- The phrase ‘life and death’ has been repeated to emphasise on the cyclical pattern of birth and death.
8. a. Personification:- The ‘river’ is personified as it is said to have a ‘soul’.
9. a. Metaphor:- ‘Grief’ has been indirectly compared to a ‘torrent’.
b. Personification:- The ‘river’ is personified by being given the animate quality of ‘cutting through the land’.
c. Simile:- The ‘river’ has been directly compared to a ‘torrent of grief’ with the use of the word ‘like’.
10. a. Alliteration:- The sound of the letter ‘s’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
b. Personification:- The ‘river’ is personified as it has been given the animate qualities of ‘holding its breath’ and ‘seeking’.
c. Repetition:- The word ‘sometimes’ has been repeated in the for poetic effect.
11. a. Personification:- The ‘river’ is personified as it has been given the human quality of ‘knowing’.
12. a. Alliteration:- The sound of the letter ‘f’ and ‘d’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
13. a. Alliteration:- The sound of the letter ‘m’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
14. a. Personification:- The ‘river’ is personified as it has been given the human quality of ‘knowing’.
15. a. Metaphor:- The ‘happy pictures’ have been indirectly compared to a ‘shrine’.
b. Personification:- The ‘pictures’ are personified as they are given the human quality of ‘being happy’.
c. Transferred Epithet:- The epithet ‘happy’ has been transferred from the ‘time’ to the ‘pictures’.
16. a. Alliteration:- The sound of the letter ‘f’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
b. Personification:- The ‘small towns’ are personified as they are given the human qualities of ‘growing’ and ‘feeling anxious’.
17. Alliteration:- The sound of the letter ‘p’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
18. a. Alliteration:- The sound of the letter ‘w’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
b. Transferred Epithet:- The epithet ‘golden’ has been transferred from the ‘rays of the sun’ to ‘east’
19. Metaphor:- The ‘east’ has been indirectly compared to the ‘house of the sun’.
20. Alliteration:- The sound of the letter ‘I’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
21. Alliteration:- The sound of the letter ‘w’ has been repeated in the line for poetic effect.
22. No, the wreath itself cannot be sad because it’s an inanimate object. The sadness is associated with someone’s funeral, in which the wreath is placed on the dead body. This sadness is transferred from the occasion to the wreath. The figure of speech used here is Transferred Epithet.
23. The ‘grief’ of the people of the town has been indirectly compared to a ‘torrent’ as it is brought on by the reduced flow of the river during summer.