Examples of Apostrophe in Poetry
Apostrophe is a figure of speech where a speaker directly addresses a person or thing that is absent, dead, or inanimate. It's like having a conversation with something that can't respond. Here are some examples from famous poems:
1. "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman:
> O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
> The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won,
> The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
> While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
> But O heart! heart! heart!
> O the bleeding drops of red,
> Where on the deck my Captain lies,
> Fallen cold and dead.
Whitman directly addresses the dead Captain, expressing his grief and admiration.
2. "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats:
> My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains
> My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,
> Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains
> One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:
> 'Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,
> But being too happy in thine happiness,
> That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees,
> In some melodious plot
> Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,
> Singest of summer in full-throated ease.
Keats addresses the Nightingale, a symbol of beauty and joy, expressing his yearning for its carefree existence.
3. "Sonnet 18" by William Shakespeare:
> Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
> Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
> Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
> And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Shakespeare directly addresses his beloved, comparing them to a summer's day and praising their beauty.
4. "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe:
> Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
> Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
> When the nights were long and cold, and the days were short and old,
> And the fire burned low, and the wind blew cold,
> And the snow fell fast, and the ice grew bold,
> And the raven sat upon the bust of Pallas just above my door,
> Quoth the raven, “Nevermore.”
The speaker directly addresses the raven, even though it is a bird, asking questions and seeking answers.
These are just a few examples. Apostrophe is a powerful tool that poets use to create a sense of immediacy and emotional connection with the audience. It helps them to express strong feelings and engage with abstract concepts in a unique and compelling way.