Choose the most appropriate option to identify the figure of speech in the following lines:-
" The moan of doves in immemorial elms
And murmuring of innumerable bees."
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia:
- Onomatopoeia is the use of words whose sound suggests the sound they describe (buzz, hiss, murmur).
- The lines are from Alfred Tennyson's "The Princess" (the song "Come down, O maid").
- "Moan" imitates the low cooing of doves and "murmuring" the steady hum of bees; the many soft "m" sounds add to the humming effect.
Example: The bees buzzed around the flowers.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Metaphor — Incorrect. A metaphor says that one thing is another, without "like" or "as"; the lines do not call anything by another name.
Example: Time is a thief.
Option 3: Simile — Incorrect. A simile compares two different things using "like" or "as"; the lines have no such comparison.
Example: The soldier fought like a lion.
Option 4: repetition — Incorrect. Repetition is the use of the same word or phrase again and again for effect; the lines do not repeat a word or phrase for effect; their effect comes from words that imitate sounds.
Example: Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink.
Contrast: onomatopoeia uses words whose sound suggests what they describe (moan, murmuring); repetition uses the same word or phrase again for effect.