Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumPoetic Imagery and Figurative Language

Examine the poetic line: "He was no mean singer in his village." What literary device completes the analysis statement below?

Answer:By expressing an affirmative idea through the negation of its contrary, the phrase "no mean singer" serves as an example of 【litotes】.

Answer

litotes
Litotes is a figure of speech in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite (such as using 'no mean' to mean 'very good'), producing an understated emphasis.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Examine the phrase 'no mean singer' within the poetic excerpt.
The phrase negates a negative descriptor ('no mean') to emphasize a positive attribute ('a good or great singer').
Using understatement to affirm a positive statement by denying its opposite defines the figure of speech known as litotes.

Key Concept

Litotes in Poetic Imagery
Rate this question

Topics

Poetic Imagery and Figurative Language

More questions from this topic