Holy Thursday (Song of Experience) Literary Device
Symbols
Rich and Fruitful Land: Symbolizes a prosperous society.Babes Reduced to Misery: Represents suffering children.
Cold and Usurious Hand: Signifies oppressive actions of the powerful.
Trembling Cry: Depicts children's distress.
Eternal Winter: Symbolizes perpetual hardship.
Sun and Rain: Represent blessings and prosperity.
Thorns: Signify obstacles and dangers.
Hunger and Poverty: Emphasize suffering.
Mind Appall: Shows lasting psychological impact.
Figures of Speech
Repetition: The recurring question, "Is this a holy thing to see," is repeated at the beginning of each stanza, emphasizing the central theme.Rhetorical Questions: "Is that trembling cry a song?"
Irony: The contrast between the supposed holiness of "Holy Thursday" and the children's suffering serves as irony.
Imagery: Descriptive imagery paints a bleak picture of poverty ("Fed with cold and usurous hand").
Metaphor: "Their ways are filled with thorns" metaphorically describes the hardships people with low incomes face.
Personification: Poverty and hunger are personified as forces that "appall" the mind.
Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds adds rhythm ( "Fed with cold and usurious hand").
Parallelism: Parallel structures reinforce ideas ("And where-e'er the sun does shine").
Hyperbole: "Eternal Winter" exaggerates the unending nature of suffering.
Oxymoron: "Holy" and "misery" form an oxymoron.