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Difficulty: HardPoetic Imagery and Figurative Language

Examine the poetic extract below and complete the literary analysis statement by identifying the correct figure of speech.

Answer:"The western wave was all a-flame,
The day was well nigh done!"
— Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

In the excerpt above, the word 'wave' is employed to represent the entire ocean. The figure of speech in which a part of an entity is used to stand for the whole is known as 【synecdoche】.

Answer

synecdoche
Synecdoche is a figure of speech where a part of something represents the whole. In Coleridge's verse, 'wave' (an individual component of the body of water) is used to signify the entire ocean.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the target word 'wave' in relation to the surrounding context of the poem.
The word 'wave' is used by the poet to denote the entire sea or ocean.
A wave is a constituent physical part of the sea.
2
Classify the specific trope that uses a part-for-whole substitution.
Synecdoche is defined as substituting a part for the whole (or the whole for a part).
Because 'wave' (a part) represents the ocean (the whole), the literary device is synecdoche.

Key Concept

Synecdoche vs. Metonymy in Poetic Imagery
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Topics

Poetic Imagery and Figurative Language

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