JAMB 2019 Literature in English · Question 77

'Nightfall! Nightfall! You are my mortal enemy' The figurative name for the manner in which Nightfall is directly addressed is______

Options

  1. A.allusion
  2. B.an ode
  3. C.metaphor
  4. D.apostrophe

Answer: D. apostrophe

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Step 1: Analyze the question The line is "Nightfall! Nightfall! You are my mortal enemy." The question asks for the figure of speech that describes directly addressing Nightfall.

Step 2: Explain the concept Nightfall is not a person and cannot hear or reply. When a speaker talks directly to an abstract idea, an object, or an absent or dead person as if it could listen, the device is called apostrophe. It is often marked by the exclamation "O" or by direct address, as in "O Death, where is thy sting?"

Step 3: Go through the options

  • A. Allusion is an indirect reference to a person, event, or work, such as a Bible story or a historical figure. Nothing is alluded to here.
  • B. An ode is a type of lyric poem, a whole poem form, not a figure of speech used in a single line.
  • C. Metaphor is a direct comparison without "like" or "as". Calling Nightfall a "mortal enemy" does carry a metaphorical sense (night is treated as an enemy). However, the question asks about the manner of direct address, which points to apostrophe, not metaphor.
  • D. Apostrophe is the direct address to a non-human or absent entity. This matches the question.

Step 4: Answer The repeated call "Nightfall! Nightfall!" shows the speaker speaking straight to nightfall as if it were a person present. That is apostrophe.

Tip: Look for the keywords "addressed directly" or "speaking to". If the question is about who or what is being spoken to (a thing, an idea, or someone absent), think apostrophe. Don't confuse it with the punctuation mark of the same name (').

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