Consider the following 14‑line poem:

"When summer's blaze begins to fade,\
The golden fields turn amber, slow;\
A whisper rides the evening shade,\
And night prepares its gentle glow.\
The river sings a silver hymn,\
Its waters mirror stars above;\
The world, in twilight, feels so dim,\
Yet hope persists in quiet love.\
Now sudden winds of change arise,\
The clouds disperse, the sky turns clear;\
The heart, once bound by old disguise,\
Finds strength to cast aside its fear.\
Thus time, relentless, moves us on,\
And we must greet the breaking dawn."

(a) State the poem's formal type and its rhyme scheme. (b) Determine the metrical pattern of line 5. (c) Explain how the turn (volta) at line 9 contributes to the overall theme of fleeting time.

Question

Consider the following 14‑line poem:

"When summer's blaze begins to fade,\
The golden fields turn amber, slow;\
A whisper rides the evening shade,\
And night prepares its gentle glow.\
The river sings a silver hymn,\
Its waters mirror stars above;\
The world, in twilight, feels so dim,\
Yet hope persists in quiet love.\
Now sudden winds of change arise,\
The clouds disperse, the sky turns clear;\
The heart, once bound by old disguise,\
Finds strength to cast aside its fear.\
Thus time, relentless, moves us on,\
And we must greet the breaking dawn."

(a) State the poem's formal type and its rhyme scheme. (b) Determine the metrical pattern of line 5. (c) Explain how the turn (volta) at line 9 contributes to the overall theme of fleeting time.

Accepted Answer

It is a Shakespearean sonnet with rhyme scheme ABAB CDC D EFE FGG; line 5 is in iambic pentameter; the volta at line 9 shifts from calm description to active change, highlighting the fleeting nature of time and the need to embrace renewal.

Neco 2023 Literature In English Question 7

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