ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -The speaker uses a metaphor in this line by comparing her love to a force that a river may can quench.

Detailed explanation-2: -In the line, “My love is such that rivers cannot quench”, the poet compares her love to thirst. It is also another metaphorical reference to physical love. The poet uses a metaphor of a valuable object by using the word “repay” in the 9th line of the poem.

Detailed explanation-3: -In lines 5-7 of “To My Dear and Loving Husband", how does the poet use hyperbole to emphasize her feelings for her husband? To emphasize her husband’s love, she exaggerates it by saying it is more prized than gold and riches, cannot be “quenched” by a river, or cannot be repaid.

Detailed explanation-4: -First, Bradstreet expresses that her husband’s love is worth more than the most expensive materials through the use of a hyperbole. On line five she states that she “Prize[s] thy love more than whole mines of gold.” By making “mines” plural and adding the word “whole” she creates a different type of effect.

Detailed explanation-5: -The repetition of the words “if ever” in successive lines (1-3) is called anaphora, and it’s a handy device poets like to whip out every once and a while to add emphasis to their points. In this case, it emphasizes – no surprise here – the love between the speaker and her husband.