Identify and explain the figures of speech in the following sentences : 10 (i)The situation is dangerous, so look before you leap. (ii)We are bosom friends. (iii)The Queen Moon rules the sky. (iv)The green-eyed monster has ruined many a home. (v)Better the world with a blow in the teeth of wrong.
Answers
1. The situation is dangerous, so look before you leap. Look before you leap is a proverb that means consider all your options before you decide what to do. Do not take a decision in a hurry.
2. We are bosom friends. Bosom is an adjective that has been used to show immense closeness and affection between friends. However, in Keats’ ‘To Autumn’, the same expression 'Close bosom friend of the maturing sun...' is not just an adjective. It is personification. The context matters a lot.
3. The Queen Moon rules the sky. This is an example of personification, whereby the moon has been portrayed as a person, as a lady, to be specific, possessing the qualities of human beings. The moon is seen as a queen who sits on her throne, just like a human queen would.
4. The green-eyed monster has ruined many a home. This is also an example of personification whereby an abstract trait (jealousy/envy) has been given the form of a living being. Jealousy has been depicted as a living monster. The colour green has always been associated with envy and hence the monster has green eyes.
5. Better the world with a blow in the teeth of wrong. This is yet another example of personification because an abstract idea (wrong) has been treated as a living being with a body and teeth. There is also an element of irony here, because the poet wants to ‘better’ the world and make it a more pleasant place. However, his way of doing so is not pleasant. Instead, it is violent.