English Literature - Poetry and Poetic Devices

English Literature
English Literature - Poetry and Poetic Devices

Which of the following poetic devices is used most effectively to emphasize the melanchotic tone in the poem ?


Read the following poem and answer the question:

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

Options:

  1. Hyperbole in the description of aging.
  2. Juxtaposition of youthful beauty and old age.
  3. Simile comparing love to glowing fire.
  4. Anaphora in the repetition of "many".

Right Answer: Juxtaposition of youthful beauty and old age.

The melancholy of the poem grows out of a sustained contrast. Against the present picture of a woman old, grey and full of sleep, nodding by the fire, the poet sets the remembered beauty of eyes with a soft look, moments of glad grace and crowds of admirers. Placing these two states side by side is juxtaposition, and it makes the reader feel the distance travelled from youth to age. There is no exaggeration for effect, so hyperbole is ruled out; love is not compared to fire using ‘like’ or ‘as’; and no line openings are repeated.

This question is part of English Literature - Poetry and Poetic Devices, which has 17 practice questions with answers.

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