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What are the poetic devices/figures of speech used in the poem Last Lesson of the Afternoon?

What are the poetic devices/figures of speech used in the poem Last Lesson of the Afternoon?

1 Answer

  1. This poem has a myriad of poetic devices, some of which are as follows:

    1. Metaphor:  My pack of unruly hounds! Here, the persona’s students are compared to ‘hounds’, unruly ones at that, referring to how they refuse to maintain discipline.
    2. Repetition: The phrase ‘I will not’ is repeated twice to emphasise the persona’s vehement refusal to teach his unwilling students.
    3. Idiom: beat our heads against the wall : This idiomatic expression is used by the persona to state the pointlessness of him trying to teach his students and them trying to learn so unwillingly.

    Last lesson of the afternoon Summary

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