Answer the question on the basis of your reading of the poem: I felt a…
2022
Answer the question on the basis of your reading of the poem:
I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,
And Mourners to and fro
Kept treading - treading - till it seemed
That Sense was breaking through -
And when they all were seated,
A Service, like a Drum -
Kept beating - beating - till I thought
My mind was going numb -
And then I heard them lift a Box
And creak across my Soul
With those same Boots of Lead, again,
Then Space - began to toll,
As all the Heavens were a Bell,
And Being, but an Ear,
And I, and Silence, some strange Race,
Wrecked, solitary, here -
And then a Plank in Reason, broke,
And I dropped down, and down -
Q. Identify the figure of speech in the line:
"Then space - began to toll."
- A.
Metaphor
- B.
Personification
- C.
Simile
- D.
Alliteration
Attempted by 7 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
The correct figure of speech in the line "Then space - began to toll" is Personification.
Understanding Personification
Personification is a literary device in which human qualities, emotions, or actions are attributed to inanimate objects, abstract ideas, or animals.
In the poem: "Space" is an abstract, vast concept—it is inanimate and incapable of performing actions. By stating that "space began to toll" (an action typically performed by a bell or a human ringing one), the poet attributes a human-like or bell-like action to an abstract concept, thus personifying it to emphasize the overwhelming, inescapable, and rhythmic nature of the speaker's mental breakdown.