Death be not proud, though some have called thee might and dreadful is an example of___________

Analyze the question: The line "Death be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful" is from John Donne's Holy Sonnet X. We are asked which figure of speech it is an example of.

Explain the concept:

• Euphemism: a mild or polite word used in place of a harsh one (e.g., "passed away" for "died"). Donne does the opposite: he confronts death directly.
• Metaphor: an implied comparison between two unlike things without "like" or "as".
• Apostrophe: a figure of speech in which the speaker directly addresses someone absent, dead, or an abstract idea or object, as if it could hear and respond.
• Alliteration: repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words (e.g., "big bad boy").

Solution:

1. Look at who is being spoken to. The poet says "thee" and tells Death, "be not proud."
2. Death is an abstract idea, not a living person, yet Donne talks to it as if it were present and listening.
3. This direct address to an absent or non-human entity is apostrophe.
4. It isn't euphemism, because nothing is softened.
5. It isn't a strong example of metaphor in this line, because no comparison is being made here (personification is present, but the specific technique here is the direct address).
6. It isn't alliteration, since the line has no repeated starting sounds. (The option is also misspelled "Aliteration".)

Answer: The correct option is C. Apostrophe.

Tip: When a poem addresses someone or something absent using "O", "thou", "thee", or a name (for example "O Death", "Ode to the West Wind"), think apostrophe. Also remember that the whole sonnet personifies Death, but the direct address is what makes it apostrophe.