From the given options, select the one which correctly identifies the figure of speech (poetic device) used in the expression -
She accepted it as the kind cruelty of the surgeon's knife
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Oxymoron
In "the kind cruelty of the surgeon's knife", the knife hurts (cruelty), yet it heals (kind).
| Option | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Metaphor | A metaphor calls one thing another thing to compare them, without "like" or "as". The expression does not say that one thing is another. It joins two opposite words. | "Time is a thief" is a metaphor. |
| (2) Oxymoron (answer) | An oxymoron places two words of opposite meaning side by side. The clash of the two words brings out a truth that a plain phrase would miss. | The two friends parted in sweet sorrow. |
| (3) Personification | Personification gives human qualities or actions to something that is not human. The knife is not shown acting like a person. The effect comes from the clash of kind and cruelty. | "The wind whispered through the trees" is personification. |
| (4) Irony | saying one thing while meaning the opposite, or a result that is the opposite of what was expected. The expression means what it says. The contrast lies in the two words placed together. | "What a pleasant surprise," she said, looking at the broken vase. |