Crossing the Water : Literary devices
Crossing the Water is a notable literary work by Sylvia Plath. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Crossing the Water.
Literary devices
Figures of Speech
Repitition
Repetition is a literary device in which a word or phrase is repeated two or more times.
Example: “Black lake, black boat, two black, cut-paper people.”
Here, Plath repeats the word “black” three times in the first line. It means the speaker’s world is really black: full of sadness and without hope.
Alliteration
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words. For example, in the first line, we find a repetition of the “b” sound in the words “black boat.” Similarly, we also find repeated sounds in “paper people” in the first line and “cover Canada” in the third line.
Personification
Personification is a figure of speech in which non-human things are described as having human qualities.
Example: “They are round and flat and full of dark advice.”
Here, Plath personifies the leaves of the water flowers. She describes them as if they are giving dark advice.
Allusion
An allusion is a reference to something well-known. It can be from the Bible, myth, history, etc.
Example: “Are you not blinded by such expressionless sirens?”
The speaker thinks the lilies are “expressionless sirens.” Here, “sirens” is an allusion. In Greek myth, sirens look beautiful, but they lure sailors into the sea to be drowned.
Symbols
Black: Black is a symbol of sadness, fear, and danger. Everything in the poem is black: the lake, the boat, the trees, and even the people. Plath repeats the word “black” four times in the first stanza. It means the speaker’s world is really black: full of sadness and without hope.