Begum Nusrat Bhutto Women University Sukkur

Name: Shifa Abro

Enrollment no: BSEN/3-21/033
Program: BS English
Specialization: English Literature
Subject: Pakistani Literature in English
Instructor: Respected Sir Habibullah
Assignment: Figures of speech in Poem “Ode to Death” by Daud Kamal
1. Metaphor:
a. "Your ode to death is in the lifting of a single eyebrow." This line
metaphorically compares the act of acknowledging death to a simple
gesture, emphasizing the proximity and inevitability of death.
b. "In every particle of carbon dust, there lives a diamond dream." Here, the
poet metaphorically suggests that even in the most mundane or
insignificant aspects of life (carbon dust), there exists the potential for
something beautiful or precious (diamond dream).
2. Personification:
a. "And the burnt-out match-stick in my ashtray / Looks so terribly alike."
Personifying the burnt-out matchstick by suggesting it has a likeness to
something else (perhaps death) emphasizes the theme of mortality and
the fleeting nature of life.
3. Simile:
a. "The pine tree blasted by last year’s thunderbolt / And the burnt-out
match-stick in my ashtray / Look so terribly alike." This simile compares
the appearance of a blasted pine tree to a burnt-out matchstick,
highlighting the similarity in their state of destruction.
4. Alliteration:
a. "Between the eye and the tear / There is the archipelago of naked rocks."
The repetition of the "t" sound in "the eye," "tear," and "archipelago"
creates a rhythmic and memorable effect, enhancing the imagery of tears
and rocky isolation.
5. Imagery:
a. "Two streams mingle in a forgotten river." This imagery evokes a sense of
the merging of life and death, as well as the passage of time and the
inevitability of mortality.
b. "And clutched at the harlots of memory." This vivid imagery suggests a
struggle with past actions or regrets, using the metaphor of "harlots" to
convey a sense of allure and temptation
6. Hyperbole:
a. "How many galaxies yet to be explored— / How many seeds in the
pomegranate of time?" The exaggeration of the number of galaxies and
seeds emphasizes the vastness and complexity of the universe and time,
respectively.
7. Anaphora:
a. "I have seen the 'stars plummet to their dark addresses' / I have felt your
absence around my neck…" The repetition of "I have" at the beginning of
 consecutive lines emphasizes the personal experience and introspection of
the speaker.
8. Euphemism:
a. "I, too, have wandered in a forest of symbols / And clutched at the harlots
of memory." The use of "forest of symbols" and "harlots of memory"
serves as euphemisms for the complexities and temptations of life
experiences and memories, respectively.
9. Oxymoron:
a. "Only sleep and silence there— / No anchorage for grief." The
juxtaposition of "sleep and silence" with "no anchorage for grief" creates
an oxymoron, highlighting the peacefulness of death contrasted with the
absence of emotional solace.
10. Irony:
a. "Are the hair and bones / Really indestructible?" The irony here lies in
questioning the durability of physical attributes like hair and bones in the
face of death, which is inherently destructive and inevitable.
11. Symbolism:
a. "Two streams mingle in a forgotten river." The streams and river symbolize
the merging of life and death, suggesting a continuous flow of existence
beyond individual experiences.
12. Paradox:
a. "Only sleep and silence there— / No anchorage for grief." This line
contains a paradox in suggesting that the absence of emotional pain
(grief) in death is simultaneously comforting (sleep and silence) and
unsettling (no anchorage).
b.

1.