Question

In the first line, Hayden mentions Selma. This is a reference to the 1965 civil rights march from Selma, Alabama, in which nonviolent protestors were attacked by police.

Today as the news from Selma and Saigon
poisons the air like fallout,
I come again to see
the serene great picture that I love.

–“Monet’s ‘Waterlilies,’”
Robert Hayden

What type of figurative language is the use of the word Selma here?

How does this example of figurative language affect the last line of the stanza?

Answer 1

1. Allusion

2. it sets up a contrast

Step-by-step explanation:

edge

Answer 2

1. Allusion

2. it sets up a contrast

Step-by-step explanation:

The allusion is a figure of speech that allows a writer to make a reference to something, someone, period, history, event and anything else. We can see an example of this in the stanza shown above, when the poem makes reference to Selma and Saigon.

This figure of speech was used to promote the contrast between the violence suffered in Selva and the serenity of the photo that the poet loves.