Here is A Roadside Stand, a detailed exploration and explanation of the figure of speech and its many facets. In this post, we have explained various examples of figurative speech, providing a comprehensive understanding of A Roadside Stand in terms of all Poetic Device. We have also told the reason why a particular figure of speech occurs in a particular line. This is going to help the children of various classes Class XII. Dive in for figure of speech examples-
Table of Contents
A Roadside Stand Stanza 1
The little old house was out with a little new shed
In front at the edge of the road where the traffic sped,
A roadside stand that too pathetically pled,
It would not be fair to say for a dole of bread,
But for some of the money, the cash, whose flow supports
The flower of cities from sinking and withering faint.
1.Name of Figure of Speech: Personification
Exact Line: A roadside stand that too pathetically pled,
Reason: The roadside stand is given human-like qualities, as it is described as “pleading pathetically.” This personification emphasizes the desperation and helplessness of the stand, and by extension, the people it represents.
2.Name of Figure of Speech: Assonance
Exact Line: But for some of the money, the cash, whose flow supports
Reason: The repetition of the vowel sound ‘o’ in this line creates a harmonious sound, adding a lyrical quality to the poem and emphasizing the concept of monetary flow.
3.Name of Figure of Speech: Assonance
Exact Line: The flower of cities from sinking and withering faint.
Reason: The ‘i’ sound in “sinking” and “withering” creates assonance, which emphasizes the decline and fragility of the cities.
4.Name of Figure of Speech: Alliteration
Exact Line: pathetically pled
Reason: The repetition of the ‘p’ sound in “pathetically pled” draws attention to the emotional state of the roadside stand, emphasizing its desperate plea.
5.Name of Figure of Speech: Juxtaposition
Exact Line: The little old house was out with a little new shed
Reason: Here, Frost juxtaposes the ‘little old house’ and ‘little new shed.’ This contrast highlights the passage of time and change, suggesting a theme of progress or transformation.
6.Name of Figure of Speech: Imagery
Exact Line: In front at the edge of the road where the traffic sped,
Reason: This line creates a vivid image of the roadside location of the stand, with the movement and speed of the traffic passing by, evoking a sense of rush and indifference.
Also Read:
- A Roadside Stand Extra Question Answer English
- Hard Words : A Roadside Stand
- A Roadside Stand NCERT Solutions
- A Roadside Stand MCQ Questions and Answers
A Roadside Stand Poetic Device- Stanza- 2
The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead,
Or if ever aside a moment, then out of sorts
At having the landscape marred with the artless paint
Of signs that with N turned wrong and S turned wrong
Offered for sale wild berries in wooden quarts,
Or crook-necked golden squash with silver warts,
Or beauty rest in a beautiful mountain scene,
1. Figure of Speech: Transferred Epithet
Exact Line: The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead,
Reason: The adjective “polished” is a transferred epithet, as it is used to describe the traffic but actually refers to the rich city dwellers. It implies their sophistication and indifference to the rural roadside stand.
2. Figure of Speech: Repetition
Exact Line: Of signs that with N turned wrong and S turned wrong
Reason: The word “wrong” is repeated to emphasize the flawed and imperfect nature of the signs, highlighting the rustic and unpolished character of the roadside stand.
3. Figure of Speech: Anaphora
Exact Lines:Â
– Or crook-necked golden squash with silver warts,
– Or beauty rest in a beautiful mountain scene,
Reason: The repetition of “Or” at the beginning of these lines is an example of anaphora. This emphasizes the variety of items for sale and the roadside stand’s attempts to attract attention.
4. Figure of Speech: Personification
Exact Line: The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead,
Reason: The “polished traffic” is personified as having “a mind ahead,” suggesting its purposeful, indifferent movement, ignoring the roadside stand.
5. Figure of Speech: Alliteration
Exact Line: The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead,
Reason: The repetition of the ‘p’ sound in “polished” and “passed” creates a rhythmic quality, emphasizing the continuous flow of the traffic.
6. Figure of Speech: Imagery
Exact Line: At having the landscape marred with the artless paint
Reason: This line creates a vivid image of the natural landscape being disrupted by crude, colorful signs, contrasting nature with man-made elements.
7. Figure of Speech: Irony
Exact Line: Of signs that with N turned wrong and S turned wrong
Reason: The irony lies in the depiction of signs with letters turned wrong, subtly criticizing the ignorance or carelessness of the sign-makers, contrasting with the polished traffic.
8. Figure of Speech: Personification
Exact Line: “Or beauty rest in a beautiful mountain scene,”
Reason: In this line, “beauty rest” can be interpreted as personification, where the abstract concept of beauty is given the human characteristic of resting. This personification suggests that beauty itself finds peace or rejuvenation within the natural landscape of a mountain scene, implying a harmonious and tranquil relationship between beauty and nature. This use of personification highlights the restorative power of natural beauty.
Figures of Speech Poem – A Roadside Stand Stanza- 3
You have the money, but if you want to be mean,
Why keep your money (this crossly) and go along.
The hurt to the scenery wouldn’t be my complaint
So much as the trusting sorrow of what is unsaid:
Here far from the city we make our roadside stand
And ask for some city money to feel in hand
To try if it will not make our being expand,
And give us the life of the moving-pictures’ promise
That the party in power is said to be keeping from us.
1.Figure of Speech: Repetition
Exact Lines:
You have the money, but if you want to be mean,
Why keep your money (this crossly) and go along.
And ask for some city money to feel in hand
Reason: The word “money” is repeated to emphasize its significance and the economic disparity between the rural stand owners and the city dwellers. Similarly, the repetition of “city” highlights the contrast between rural and urban life.
2.Figure of Speech: Assonance
Exact Line: And give us the life of the moving-pictures’ promise
Reason: The repetition of the ‘i’ sound in this line creates a sense of longing and yearning, enhancing the emotional impact of the rural people’s desire for a better life.
3.Figure of Speech: Personification
Exact Line: The hurt to the scenery wouldn’t be my complaint
Reason: The “hurt to the scenery” personifies the natural landscape, suggesting it can feel pain, highlighting the impact of urbanization and commercialization on nature.
4.Figure of Speech: Apostrophe
Exact Line: You have the money, but if you want to be mean,
Reason: The speaker directly addresses an absent or imaginary entity, engaging in a one-sided conversation.
5.Figure of Speech: Metaphor
Exact Line: And give us the life of the moving-pictures’ promise
Reason: This is a metaphor for the idealized, glamorous life portrayed in movies, contrasting with the reality of those running the roadside stand.
6.Figure of Speech: Irony
Exact Line: That the party in power is said to be keeping from us.
Reason: There is irony in the expectation that the political party in power would improve their lives, juxtaposed with the reality that their promises are unfulfilled.
7.Figure of Speech: Synecdoche
Exact Line: And ask for some city money to feel in hand
Reason: “City money” represents the wealth and prosperity associated with urban areas, emphasizing the economic divide.
8.Figure of Speech: Alliteration
Exact Line: So much as the trusting sorrow of what is unsaid:
Reason: The repetition of the ‘s’ sound creates a soft, sibilant sound that enhances the melancholic tone.
A Roadside Stand Poetic Device- Stanza- 4
It is in the news that all these pitiful kin
Are to be bought out and mercifully gathered in
To live in villages, next to the theatre and the store,
Where they won’t have to think for themselves anymore,
While greedy good-doers, beneficent beasts of prey,
Swarm over their lives enforcing benefits
That are calculated to soothe them out of their wits,
And by teaching them how to sleep they sleep all day,
Destroy their sleeping at night the ancient way.
1. Figure of Speech: Alliteration
Exact Lines:
Greedy good-doers
Beneficent beasts
Be bought
Reason: The repetition of the ‘g’, ‘b’, and another ‘b’ sounds create a rhythmic and harsh tone, emphasizing the predatory nature of the so-called benefactors and the forceful nature of the relocation.
2. Figure of Speech: Oxymoron
Exact Line: greedy good-doers
Reason: This phrase combines contradictory terms: “greedy” and “good-doers,” highlighting the duplicitous nature of those who pretend to help while pursuing their own interests.
3. Figure of Speech: Repetition
Exact Line: And by teaching them how to sleep they sleep all day, Destroy their sleeping at night the ancient way.
Reason: The repetition of “sleep” emphasizes the loss of traditional ways of life and the forced imposition of new lifestyles that disrupt natural patterns.
4. Figure of Speech: Irony
Exact Line: Are to be bought out and mercifully gathered in
Reason: The use of “mercifully” is ironic, as it suggests kindness in an action that is actually forced and possibly unwanted.
5. Figure of Speech: Personification
Exact Line: While greedy good-doers, beneficent beasts of prey,
Reason: This personifies entities who pretend to do good but are actually exploiting the rural people.
6. Figure of Speech: Hyperbole
Exact Line: That are calculated to soothe them out of their wits,
Reason: This exaggeration suggests that the so-called benefits are overwhelming and disorienting.
7. Figure of Speech: Metaphor
Exact Line: Swarm over their lives enforcing benefits
Reason: This metaphorically describes the overwhelming and intrusive way the rural people are being treated.
8. Figure of Speech: Juxtaposition
Exact Lines:
To live in villages, next to the theatre and the store,
Where they won’t have to think for themselves anymore,
Reason: This juxtaposes the idea of living near modern conveniences with the loss of autonomy.
Figures of Speech Poem – A Roadside Stand Stanza- 5
Sometimes I feel myself I can hardly bear
The thought of so much childish longing in vain,
The sadness that lurks near the open window there,
That waits all day in almost open prayer
For the squeal of brakes, the sound of a stopping car,
Of all the thousand selfish cars that pass,
Just one to inquire what a farmer’s prices are.
And one did stop, but only to plow up grass
In using the yard to back and turn around;
And another to ask the way to where it was bound;
1. Figure of Speech: Transferred Epithet
Exact Line: Of all the thousand selfish cars that pass,
Reason: “Selfish cars” is a transferred epithet where the selfishness attributed to the cars actually reflects the attitudes of the city-dwellers driving them, emphasizing their indifference to the roadside stand.
2. Figure of Speech: Personification
Exact Line: The sadness that lurks near the open window there,
Reason: Sadness is personified as something that can lurk, giving it a tangible, almost human presence that emphasizes the depth of despair felt by the speaker.
3. Figure of Speech: Hyperbole
Exact Line: Of all the thousand selfish cars that pass,
Reason: This exaggeration emphasizes the sheer number of cars that pass without stopping, highlighting their indifference.
4. Figure of Speech: Metaphor
Exact Line: That waits all day in almost open prayer
Reason: Comparing the wait to “open prayer” suggests a deep longing and hope for something, reflecting the stand’s desperate hope for customers.
5. Figure of Speech: Alliteration
Exact Line: For the squeal of brakes, the sound of a stopping car,
Reason: The repetition of the ‘s’ sound creates a sibilant effect, enhancing the auditory imagery.
6. Figure of Speech: Irony
Exact Lines:
And one did stop, but only to plow up grass
In using the yard to back and turn around;
Reason: The irony lies in a car stopping not to help or buy but to use the yard for its own purpose.
7. Figure of Speech: Oxymoron
Exact Line: childish longing in vain,
Reason: Combining “childish” (associated with innocence and hope) with “in vain” (suggesting futility) reflects the naive yet futile hope of the stand owner.
8. Figure of Speech: Imagery
Exact Line: For the squeal of brakes, the sound of a stopping car,
Reason: This line creates vivid auditory imagery, making the reader almost hear the sounds of a car stopping.
A Roadside Stand Poetic Device- Stanza- 6
And another to ask could they sell it a gallon of gas
They couldn’t (this crossly); they had none, didn’t it see?
1. Figure of Speech: Alliteration
Exact Line: could they sell it a gallon of gas
Reason: The repetition of the ‘g’ sound in “gallon of gas” creates a rhythmic effect, drawing attention to the specific request made by the passerby.
2. Figure of Speech: Irony
Exact Line: They couldn’t (this crossly); they had none, didn’t it see?
Reason: There is irony in the expectation of the passerby that the roadside stand would sell gas, contrasted with the reality that they don’t have any. This reflects the ignorance or misunderstanding of the stand’s purpose by those passing by.
3. Figure of Speech: Rhetorical Question
Exact Line: They had none, didn’t it see?
Reason: The question “didn’t it see?” is rhetorical and expresses frustration. It’s not meant to elicit an answer but to highlight the obliviousness of the passerby.
4. Figure of Speech: Parenthesis
Exact Line: They couldn’t (this crossly);
Reason: The use of parentheses around “this crossly” indicates an aside or an under-the-breath comment, conveying the irritation or bitterness of the speaker.
Figures of Speech Poem – A Roadside Stand Stanza- 7
No, in country money, the country scale of gain,
The requisite lift of spirit has never been found,
Or so the voice of the country seems to complain,
I can’t help owning the great relief it would be
To put these people at one stroke out of their pain.
And then next day as I come back into the sane,
I wonder how I should like you to come to me
And offer to put me gently out of my pain.
1. Figure of Speech: Personification
Exact Line: Or so the voice of the country seems to complain,
Reason: The “voice of the country” is personified, suggesting the country itself can express a complaint, emphasizing the collective rural struggle.
2. Figure of Speech: Repetition
Exact Words: “country” and “pain”
Reason: The repetition of “country” emphasizes the rural setting and contrasts with urban life, while “pain” highlights ongoing suffering and desire for relief.
3. Figure of Speech: Irony
Exact Lines:
-To put these people at one stroke out of their pain.
-And offer to put me gently out of my pain.
Reason: The desire for a quick, merciful release from pain is ironic, reflecting the depth of suffering and longing for an end to it.
4. Figure of Speech: Metaphor
Exact Line: The requisite lift of spirit has never been found,
Reason: “Lift of spirit” metaphorically refers to hope or improvement, suggesting its elusiveness for the people in the country.
5. Figure of Speech: Hyperbole
Exact Line: I can’t help owning the great relief it would be
Reason: This exaggeration emphasizes the intense desire for a resolution to the suffering.
6. Figure of Speech: Juxtaposition
Exact Line: And then next day as I come back into the sane,
Reason: Juxtaposes harsh reality with fleeting moments of respite or clarity.
7. Figure of Speech: Alliteration
Exact Line: The requisite lift of spirit has never been found,
Reason: The repetition of the ‘s’ sound adds a soft, sibilant quality to the line, enhancing its lyrical nature.
