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Difficulty: EasyAnalysis of Prescribed African Poems

In John Pepper Clark's prescribed African poem *Night Rain*, the line "It is wooden paddles shuddering in a bowl" is an example of which literary device?

  1. MetaphorAnswer
  2. B
    Simile
  3. C
    Oxymoron
  4. D
    Assonance

Answer

Metaphor
The option identifying the figure of speech as a metaphor is correct because the poet directly equates the sound of rain dripping onto the roof or into container vessels with the rhythmic movement of wooden paddles in a bowl, omitting comparative markers such as 'like' or 'as'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Examine the poetic line from J. P. Clark's *Night Rain*
The text reads: "It is wooden paddles shuddering in a bowl".
Analyzing the exact phrasing reveals how the sound of rain is being described.
2
Identify the comparative structure used by the poet
The sound of rain is equated directly to "wooden paddles shuddering in a bowl" without using 'like' or 'as'.
A direct equivalence between two unlike things constitutes a metaphor.

Key Concept

Metaphor in African Poetry
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Analysis of Prescribed African Poems

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