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Question

Difficulty: MediumFigurative Language and Tropes

Read the poetic extract below:

"O Silent Night, why do you wrap the weary world in your dark mantle?"

Which figure of speech is primarily employed in the speaker's direct address to 'Silent Night'?

  1. ApostropheAnswer
  2. B
    Oxymoron
  3. C
    Hyperbole
  4. D
    Metaphor

Answer

The primary figure of speech employed in the direct address is apostrophe.
The extract uses an exclamatory direct address ('O Silent Night') to speak to an abstract entity as if it were present and listening. This specific literary figure of speech is apostrophe.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the line's opening invocation.
The speaker opens with an exclamatory address ('O Silent Night') directed at an abstract, inanimate entity.
Identifying the target and nature of the speaker's address reveals the core rhetorical device.
2
Evaluate the rhetorical device against standard literary definitions.
Directly addressing an inanimate idea or absent concept as though it were present and capable of understanding constitutes apostrophe.
Distinguishing direct address from simple personification or implicit comparison ensures accurate classification.

Key Concept

Apostrophe in Poetry
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Topics

Figurative Language and Tropes

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