Which literary device has been used in the expression: ‘to tame the poison’?
Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options.
My mother twisted through and through
groaning on a mat
My father, sceptic, rationalist,
trying every curse and blessing,
powder, mixture, herb and hybrid.
He even poured a little paraffin
upon the bitten toe and put a match to it.
I watched the flame feeding on my mother
I watched the holy man perform the rites
to tame the poison with an incantation.
After twenty hours
it lost its sting.
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
My mother only said
Thank God the scorpion picked on me
and spared my children.
Which literary device has been used in the expression: ‘to tame the poison’?
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Correct answer: (A) Metaphor
Explanation
'Tame' is normally used for wild animals; applying it to poison is an implied comparison of the poison to a wild beast, i.e. a metaphor.