Question

What are the figures of speech in the poem ‘Wind’?

Answer 1

Hint: Subramania Bharati wrote the poem Wind in Tamil, which was then translated into English by A.K. Ramanujan. The author talks about the wind and its brutality in this poem, and then tells the readers to make themselves and their homes strong enough to withstand the harshness of the wind, which makes us stronger and better. The poem is metaphorical in that the wind reflects the issues we confront in life. Those who do not put in the effort or believe in themselves fail, however those who have strong willpower and determination thrive. The poem is structured into four stanzas, each of which contains four lines.

Complete answer:
A figure of speech is a departure from normal word usage in order to heighten the efficacy of the words.. To communicate a meaning different from the literal meaning, it could be a simile, metaphor, or personification.

The use of figures of speech adds to the elegance of the composition. It adds depth to the text and gives the reader a sense of awe. It breathes life into the writer's words. The figure of speech demonstrates not just the writer's intention, but also his motivation for employing such language. It gives the text more flavour and makes it more entertaining for the reader when he or she reads it.
The different figures of speech in the poem “wind” are:
Anaphora: The poet urges the wind to come quietly, like a young kid, in the opening few words of the poem. Anaphora is the figure of speech employed here. The poetical figure of speech "Anaphora" is demonstrated by the repeated use of the phrase "don't" in the beginning of lines two, three, and four. In the following four lines, the poet informs the wind of the devastation it has caused. The poet had begged for it to arrive softly as a child, but it arrived as a young lad full of fury, force, and destruction. Anaphora is the figure of speech used here. The poetical figure of speech is demonstrated by the repeated use of the word You at the beginning of lines six, seven, and eight.

Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is used to describe an object or activity that is not literal. Wind is a metaphor in the poem, as it represents the challenges that mankind endure in their life.

Personification: The attribution of human attributes to animals and non-living entities is known as personification. Wind is addressed in the poem via the pronoun "He," which is typically reserved for people. He also refers to the wind as "Wind God."

Repetition: The poetic effect of repetition is the repetition of particular words or phrases. The word "crumbling" appears several times in the poem.

Alliteration: The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely related words is known as alliteration. “crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters, crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives, crumbling hearts”, are some examples.

Enjambment: The continuation of a sentence without a pause at the end of a line, couplet, or stanza is known as enjambment. “Frail crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters, crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives, crumbling hearts” are just a few examples.

Symbolism: The use of symbols to represent ideas or attributes is known as symbolism. Wind, for example, represents issues and obstacles, while weak fires represent people with weak willpower and strong fires represent people with strong willpower and firm determination.

Note: 'Wind' is a metaphorical poem with a deeper significance. The wind's devastating strength is depicted in the poem. The wind, according to the poet, is violent and breaks everything in its path. It shatters window shutters, scatters papers, and tosses books from shelves, tearing their pages in the process. The wind, with its powerful energy, has the potential to wreak a great deal of damage. Its force is capable of destroying rafters, houses, doors, and people's hearts and lives. This forceful wind has been associated by the poet with life's hardships, hurdles, and battles.