Question

Read the stanza from "On Yuba City" by John Rollin Ridge and answer the question that follows. She stands with aspect sad but high, and gazes on the river, that like a stranger passes by, and nothing has to give her. What poetic device is found in the bolded words?

1) Simile
2) Metaphor
3) Personification
4) Hyperbole

Answer 1

The poetic device used in the stanza from 'On Yuba City' by John Rollin Ridge is personification, attributing human-like qualities to the river.

Step-by-step explanation:

The poetic device found in the bolded words from the stanza of "On Yuba City" by John Rollin Ridge is personification. In the phrase 'that like a stranger passes by, and nothing has to give her' the river is being given human-like qualities, as it is described as behaving like a 'stranger' who does not offer anything to the observer, which is characteristic of personification. In contrast to a simile or metaphor which would make a direct comparison or representation, personification attributes human characteristics or actions to non-human entities, such as a river in this case.