Question

Which lines in this excerpt from Mary Otis Warren's poem "A Political Reverie" use figurative language?

one year ago Share Question:

I look with rapture at the distant dawn,
And view the glories of the opening morn,
When justice holds his sceptre o’er the land,

And rescues freedom from a tyrant’s hand;
When patriot states in laurel crowns may rise,
And ancient kingdoms court them as allies;
Glory and valour shall be here display'd,
And virtue rear her long dejected head;
Her standard plant beneath these gladden’d skies,
Her fame extend, and arts and science rise;
While empire’s lofty spreading sails unfurl’d,
Roll swiftly on towards the western world

Answer 1

The lines below use the figurative language of personification:

When justice holds his sceptre o’er the land
And rescues freedom from a tyrant’s hand;
And virtue rear her long dejected head;
These two lines use metaphor:
While empire’s lofty spreading sails unfurl’d,
Roll swiftly on towards the western world

Thank you for posting your question. I hope you found what you were after. Please feel free to ask me more.

Answer 2

There are many lines here that are figurative. An example can be
And virtue rear her long dejected head;
Her standard plant beneath these gladden’d skies,
Virtue is not a real person so this is personification because it cannot really rear it's head.