In the first stanza of 'From a Railway Carriage' by R. L. Stevenson, there are two similes. The first simile compares the student's act of standing and leaning on the rail to the poet's own experience of standing but feeling hurried by the train's movement. The second simile compares the student's act of looking at the masts of ships and steamboat pipes to the poet's act of looking at the same things. The poet uses the word 'swift' to show the speed with which the 'painted stations' pass by.
Step-by-step explanation:
Lines containing similes:
'Just as you stand and lean on the rail, yet hurry with the swift current, I stood yet was hurried.'
'Just as you look on the numberless masts of ships and the thick-stemm'd pipes of steamboats, I look'd.'
Explanation of similes:
The first simile compares the student's act of standing and leaning on the rail while the train is in motion to the poet's own experience of standing still but feeling hurried by the movement of the train. The second simile compares the student's act of looking at the many masts of ships and steamboat pipes to the poet's act of looking at the same things.
Words showing the speed of the 'painted stations':
The poet has used the word 'swift' to describe the current that the student is hurrying with, which implies speed. This word also reflects the speed with which the 'painted stations' pass by.
The probable question can be: From a Railway Carriage by R. L. Stevenson
1. Quote the lines containing the two similes in the first stanza. Explain the similies.
2. What words has the poet used to show the speed with which the 'painted stations' pass by?