From the given options, select the one which correctly identifies the figure of speech (poetic device) used in the expression -

Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale

Simile

The correct answer is option 2: Simile

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things using the words “like” or “as.” In the expression “Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale,” life is being compared to a tale that is told twice, using the word “as” to highlight the comparison. This is a perfect example of a simile, used to emphasize how boring or dull life feels.

• Personification: Attributing human qualities or actions to inanimate objects or abstract ideas. (e.g., "Life groaned with boredom.")

• Irony: A contrast between what is said and what is actually meant, or between what happens and what is expected to happen. There is no such contrast here.

• Oxymoron: Combining two contradictory terms. (e.g., "bitter sweet," "jumbo shrimp"). There are no contradictory terms directly juxtaposed here.