Question

Use the excerpt from the poem "Late September" by Amy Lowell to answer the question.

Warmth of earth, and cloudless wind

Tearing off the husky rind,

Blowing feathered seeds to fall

By the sun-baked, sheltering wall.

In three to five sentences, explain how the poet uses figurative language to express meaning in this stanza.

Answer 1

In this stanza, the poet uses figurative language to depict the changing of seasons from summer to fall. The phrase "Warmth of earth" personifies the earth as having warmth, conveying a sense of comfort and coziness. The metaphor of "Tearing off the husky rind" compares the shedding of leaves to the peeling of a husk, emphasizing the idea of renewal and change. The personification of the wind as "Blowing feathered seeds" creates a vivid image of the wind carrying seeds, which highlights the natural cycle of growth and renewal.

Answer 2

The best explanation of the way the poet uses figurative language to express meaning in this stanza is the use of ABAB rhyme scheme and creates an imagery of the destruction of feeble seeds blown apart by cloudless winds.

What is Figurative Language?

This refers to the use of implied meanings to show that there was an extra meaning to a word which is different from its literal meaning.

Here, we can see that the writer makes use of rhyme schemes of ABAB and also he also creates imagery by painting a mental picture of indifferent weather elements destroying seeds and laying them on sun baked walls.