Metaphysical poets, selected poems Contents
Language and tone in Ascension - Hymn
Alliteration and oxymoron
The language of light and shade, captivity and freedom in Ascension – Hymn relates directly to the imagery. There are other language features that are worth noting. The alliteration in stanza 4 is an obvious example. ‘High humility' is also an oxymoron- we normally associate humility with ‘low'. The j- alliteration in the next stanza is dramatic in that it is applied to death.
Obsolete language
Some of the language Vaughan uses no longer have quite the same meaning: ‘glass' means mirror here, for example. ‘Resume thy spirit from this world of thrall' means little to the modern reader, though Vaughan was using everyday language of the time. ‘Thrall' means bondage or slavery; ‘resume' means ‘take back'.
Investigating Ascension - Hymn
- Consider the language and tone of Ascension - Hymn
- Do you think this could be sung?
- To what extent does the mode of expression of stanza 6 resemble the poetry of George Herbert rather than the rest of this poem?
- How would you describe the poem's tone?
Figure of speech in which a person or object or happening is described in terms of some other person, object or action, either by saying X is Y (metaphor); or X is like Y (simile). In each case, X is the original, Y is the image.
Alliteration is a device frequently used in poetry or rhetoric (speech-making) whereby words starting with the same consonant are used in close proximity- e.g. 'fast in fires', 'stars, start'.
The technical name for a verse, or a regular repeating unit of so many lines in a poem. Poetry can be stanzaic or non-stanzaic.
A Figure of speech in which two apparently opposite words or ideas are put together as if they were in agreement.
A non-physical being, or the non-physical but vital and intelligent part of a being, not limited by physical constraints.
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