Loading....

WAEC SSCE - Literature In English - 2020 (Objective)

Question 1 Report

Read the extract and answer Questions 36 to 40.

I will rather sue to be despised than to deceive so good a
commander with so slight, so drunken, and so indiscreet
an officer. Drunk! And speak parrot! And squabble!
swagger! Swear! And discourse fustian with one's own
shadow! a thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no
name to be known by, let us call thee devil!

(Act II, Scene Three, lines 262-267)

The underlined expression exemplifies __________

Answer Details
The underlined expression exemplifies apostrophe. An apostrophe is a figure of speech in which the speaker addresses a person, thing, or idea that is not present or is unable to respond. In this case, the speaker is addressing an invisible spirit of wine, which is personified as if it were a living entity. The speaker is expressing disgust and frustration with the effects of alcohol on a particular officer, and is using the apostrophe to indirectly address the officer's behavior through the spirit of wine. The speaker refers to the spirit of wine as "devil", which is also an example of personification. Overall, the use of apostrophe in this passage adds emphasis and emotion to the speaker's words, and helps to create a vivid image of the officer's drunken behavior.