PART 2

Read the poems below, write down each of their figure of speech. Discuss your reasons in your group.

a.

The Sick Rose (By William Blake)

“O Rose thou art sick.

The invisible worm,

That flies in the night

In the howling storm:

Has found out thy bed

Of crimson joy;

And his dark secret love

Does thy life destroy”

(Ambiguity)

Hint: Many of the words in the above lines show ambiguity. We cannot say for sure what” bed of crimson joy” means; neither can we be exact about the interpretation of “dark secret love.” The ambiguous nature of such phrases allows readers to explore for deeper meanings of the poem.

b.

Come Down, O Maid (By Alfred Lord Tennyson)

“The moan of doves in immemorial elms,

And murmuring of innumerable bees…”

(Onomatopoeia)

c.

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (By William Shakespeare’s)

“The earth that’s nature’s mother is her tomb;

What is her burying grave, that is Rainbow in her womb…”

(Paradox)

Hint: The contradictory ideas of the earth being the birthplace and a graveyard make these lines paradoxical.

d.

William Blake goes symbolic in his poem Ah Sunflower. He says:

“Ah Sunflower, weary of time,

Who countest the steps of the sun;

Seeking after that sweet golden clime

Where the traveler’s journey is done;”

(Symbol)

Hint: Blake uses a sunflower as a symbol for human beings, and “the sun” symbolizes life. Therefore, these lines symbolically refer to their life cycle and their yearning for a never-ending life.

e.

Two Sunflowers Move in a Yellow Room (By William Blake)

“Two Sunflowers

Move in the Yellow Room.

‘Ah, William, we’re weary of weather,”

said the sunflowers, shining with dew.

Our traveling habits have tired us.

Can you give us a room with a view?”

(Personification)

Hint: This poem by William Blake contains a lot of examples of personification. The poem starts in a dialogue form, where a sunflower is directly addressing the poet by calling his name. Again, in the third line the flower says, “our travelling habits have tired us”, which is a good personification. The flowers are depicting a human characteristic of weariness caused by the weather. In a human way, they make a request to the poet to put them in a room with a window with plenty of sunshine.

f.

Loveliest of Trees the Cherry Now (By A. H. Houseman)

“Loveliest of trees, the cherry now

Is hung with bloom along the bough,

And stands about the woodland ride

Wearing white for Eastertide.”

(Personification)

Hint: He sees a cherry tree covered with beautiful white flowers in the forest, and says that the cherry tree wears white clothes to celebrate Easter. He gives human attributes to a tree in order to describe it in human terms.