Consider the following original unseen excerpt from a contemporary African play:
Chief Ade: "Our ancestors' silence speaks louder than your thunderous threats, Mazi." (Excerpt I)
Mazi Okoro: "Yet you stand before me like a giant oak carved out of melting butter!" (Excerpt II)
Chief Ade: "I come bearing a bitter sweetness; peace brought on the edge of a polished blade." (Excerpt III)
Mazi Okoro: "Go back! The night wind whispers secrets of your coming defeat to the sleeping hills." (Excerpt IV)
Based on the excerpt above, match each numbered excerpt (Excerpt I to Excerpt IV) with the primary literary device or figure of speech it demonstrates.
- Excerpt I ("Our ancestors' silence speaks louder than your thunderous threats...")Paradox
- Excerpt II ("...like a giant oak carved out of melting butter!")Simile with contradictory imagery
- Excerpt III ("...a bitter sweetness; peace brought on the edge of a polished blade.")Oxymoron
- Excerpt IV ("The night wind whispers secrets of your coming defeat...")Personification
Answer
Excerpt I corresponds to Paradox, Excerpt II corresponds to Simile with contradictory imagery, Excerpt III corresponds to Oxymoron, and Excerpt IV corresponds to Personification.
The correct pairings align each literary excerpt with its exact rhetorical device based on definition and stylistic function: Excerpt I illustrates a paradox by presenting a meaningful self-contradictory idea ('silence speaks louder'); Excerpt II uses explicit comparison with 'like' to construct a simile with contrasting imagery; Excerpt III juxtaposes two contradictory words ('bitter sweetness') in immediate succession to form an oxymoron; and Excerpt IV endows the wind with human speech ('whispers secrets'), establishing personification.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Unseen Text Appreciation and Analysis