This question is based on General Literary Principles. 'The woman whose breast I sucked is gone to the worms, 'Oculi, Orphan'. These lines illustrate the use of

Analyze the question

The lines "The woman whose breast I sucked is gone to the worms" are from Okot p'Bitek's Song of Lawino or a similar piece (the attribution here is "Oculi, Orphan"). The speaker talks about the death of his mother. We are asked which literary device the lines illustrate.

Explain the concept

• Sadism: taking pleasure in cruelty. It is not a literary device here.
• Sophism: clever but false reasoning meant to deceive.
• Satire: ridiculing vices or follies in society to expose them.
• Euphemism: using a mild, softer or indirect expression in place of a harsh or unpleasant one, especially for death.

Solution

1. "The woman whose breast I sucked" is an indirect way of saying "my mother".
2. "Is gone to the worms" is an indirect way of saying "is dead and buried", which is the harsh reality.
3. Both phrases soften the bluntness of stating "my mother is dead". There is no mockery (so not satire), no cruelty (not sadism), and no deceptive argument (not sophism).

Note: "gone to the worms" is also somewhat blunt and earthy, so some could argue it is more graphic than gentle. But the overall construction, which avoids saying "mother" and "died" directly, is the roundabout, indirect phrasing of a euphemism. Among the four options, it is the only one that fits.

Answer

The correct option is D. euphemism.

Exam tip

Whenever a poem or passage refers to death, or to private or unpleasant matters, with phrases like "passed away", "gone to be with the ancestors" or "gone to the worms", think euphemism first. Remember: Euphemism = Easing the blow.