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What are the poetic devices used in the poem He Never Expected Much?

What are the poetic devices used in the poem He Never Expected Much?

1 Answer

    • Irony- A figure of speech known as irony entails a contradiction in the words and expressions used. Since the poem discloses that the man never expected much and the reader discovers the unfulfilled features of his existence, the title itself alludes to irony.
    • Metaphor- A metaphor is a figure of speech in which two opposite objects are nonliterally compared. To depict the man’s life and goals, Hardy uses analogies. For instance, the third stanza’s image of the “small wheels” represents the man’s life as being ordinary and normal.
    • Enjambment- Enjambment is used in poetry to create a continuous and fluid rhythm by having lines flow into one another without a break. This enhances the poem’s overall flow and can represent the man’s boring life, which remains unbroken.
    • Alliteration- The term “alliteration” refers to the practice of starting words in a phrase with the same letter or sound. The poem gains a melodic quality from the repeated sounds at the beginning of words (e.g., “Well, World,” “with…with”), which also discreetly highlight specific concepts.
    • Apostrophe- An apostrophe is a figure of speech used when a speaker addresses an object or person who is not there or is unable to reply. The speaker addresses the “World” directly in the poem’s opening lines, even though it is unable to reply. This fosters a feeling of closeness and reflective introspection as the speaker muses over their experiences.

    He Never Expected Much Summary

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