Question

The figures of speech in The Solitary Reaper

Answer 1

The figure of speech that the poet has used in the poem is alliteration. Alliteration is the use of the same letter or sound at the beginning of words that are close together, as ‘She sang a song of sixpence.’ ‘In the month of May millions of monkeys munch mangoes.’

Examples of alliteration in the poem are:

1.)    And sings a melancholy strain:

2.)    No nightingale did ever chant

3.)    Among Arabian Sands

4.)  Breaking the silence of the seas

5.)    Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow

For old, unhappy, far-off things,

6.)     I saw her singing at her work,

Answer 2

Explanation:

Some figures of speech in The Solitary Reaper include:

1)Assonance

This is when two or more words in proximity repeat vowel sounds. For example:

O listen! for the Vale profound

Is overflowing with the sound

2)Hyperbole

This figure of speech involves exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis. For example,

A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard

In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,

Breaking the silence of the seas

Among the farthest Hebrides.

The poet says that the Highland girl's voice is so beautiful that it is enough to break the calm stillness of the seas, even as far as the Hebride islands (off the coast of Scotland). This exaggeration serves to prove the beauty of the girl's singing.

3)Metaphor

This involves a comparison between two contradictory elements. In the poem, Wordsworth compares the girl's singing to that of the nightingale and the cuckoo bird.

4)Apostrophe

This is when an author or poet addresses an imaginary character or a character who is not present in the story.

Behold her, single in the field,

Yon solitary Highland Lass!

Here, Wordsworth is addressing the reader and drawing the reader's attention to the beauty of the Highland girl's singing.

5)Imagery

Imagery is figurative language used to appeal to our senses. For example,

No Nightingale did ever chaunt