Figures of Speech

Personification

• Definition: It is a figure of speech where non-human or abstract things are given human qualities or emotions.
• Example: “O Goddess! hear these tuneless numbers, wrung / By sweet enforcement and remembrance dear.”
• Explanation: The poet directly addresses Psyche as a living goddess who can listen and feel. Psyche, who represents the soul, is treated as a real being with emotions and divine power.
• Effect: This personification makes the poem spiritual and emotional. It gives life to an abstract idea, the soul. It  helps readers feel the poet’s deep devotion.

• Definition: Metaphor is a direct comparison between two unlike things without using “as” or “like.”
• Example: “I will be thy priest, and build a fane / In some untrodden region of my mind.”
• Explanation: Here, the poet compares his mind to a temple or sacred place (fane). His thoughts and imagination become the site of worship.
• Effect: This metaphor shows Keats’s belief in inner spirituality. It emphasizes that imagination and the human mind are divine sources of creativity and worship.

• Definition: Imagery is the use of vivid and descriptive language to create pictures in the reader’s mind.
• Example: “Mid hush’d, cool-rooted flowers, fragrant-eyed, / Blue, silver-white, and budded Tyrian.”
• Explanation: Keats paints a soft, colorful picture of the natural setting. Silent flowers, sweet scents, blue and white colors, and gentle calmness.
• Effect: The imagery creates a dreamlike and peaceful atmosphere. It appeals to the senses of sight and smell. It makes the scene feel almost real and sacred.

• Definition: Apostrophe is a direct address to an absent or imaginary person, or to an abstract idea.
• Example: “O brightest! though too late for antique vows.”
• Explanation: The poet directly speaks to Psyche, who is not physically present. He expresses his admiration and devotion as if she were there before him.
• Effect: This figure of speech adds intimacy and reverence. It gives the poem a tone of prayer and worship.

• Definition: Hyperbole is an intentional exaggeration for emphasis or poetic effect.
• Example: “Fairer than Phoebe’s sapphire-region’d star, / Or Vesper, amorous glow-worm of the sky.”
• Explanation: The poet exaggerates Psyche’s beauty. He says she is even more beautiful than the moon and the evening star.
• Effect: The hyperbole strengthens the emotional tone. It highlights Psyche’s divine charm and unmatched loveliness.

• Definition: Symbolism is a poetic device in which an object, person, situation, or action represents a deeper meaning beyond its literal sense. In Ode to Psyche, John Keats uses rich symbols to express the power of imagination, love, and the human soul.

• Psyche: Psyche is the Greek goddess of the soul. She is the central symbol of the poem. She stands for the human spirit, love, and imagination. Keats presents her as a forgotten goddess. She deserves worship within the mind and heart. Psyche symbolizes the awakening of the soul and the poet’s desire to revive beauty, faith, and emotion in a materialistic age.
• Cupid (the Winged Boy): Cupid is the god of love. He represents passion, desire, and the spiritual bond between love and the soul. His union with Psyche symbolizes the harmony of love and imagination. Together, they stand for the blending of emotion and thought, the heart and the mind working together to create beauty.
• The Temple (Fane) in the Poet’s Mind: The “untrodden region” or “fane” that Keats builds in his mind. It is a symbol of the imagination. Since Psyche has no physical temple, the poet makes his own mind her shrine. It represents the idea that true worship happens within one’s thoughts and creativity, not through rituals or external religion.
• The Forest and Nature: The forest is filled with flowers, leaves, breezes, and streams. It symbolizes the living world of imagination and inner peace. The natural imagery reflects the poet’s belief that beauty and inspiration come from within the human mind, just as nature renews itself endlessly.
• Light and Fire: Light and fire symbolize inspiration, divine energy, and creative passion. The “bright torch” and “aurorean love” represent the illumination of the soul through imagination and love. They show how the poet’s inner world glows with spiritual warmth and artistic energy.