From the given options, select the figure of speech used in the expression:
"O Death in life"
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Oxymoron
"O Death in life" puts death and life together. The speaker means the sad memory of days gone by, a kind of death felt while one is still alive.
| Option | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Simile | A simile compares two things using "like" or "as". The phrase has neither word and no comparison. | "He ran like the wind" is a simile. |
| (2) Oxymoron (answer) | An oxymoron joins two words or ideas of opposite meaning to make a striking point. The contradiction makes the reader look for the deeper sense behind it. | "The two friends parted in sweet sorrow" uses an oxymoron. |
| (3) Personification | Personification gives a non-human thing human actions or feelings. Death is called upon with "O", but it is given no human action or quality. The force of the phrase lies in placing death inside life. | "The sun smiled on the fields" is personification. |
| (4) Alliteration | Alliteration repeats the same first consonant sound in nearby words. "Death" and "life" begin with different sounds. | "Wild winds wailed" uses alliteration. |