This question is based on General Literary Principles. 'If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind? Shelly''Ode to the West Wind' The literary device used he...

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The literary device used in the given quote from Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind" is a rhetoric called "rhetorical question". A rhetorical question is a figure of speech that is asked for effect or to make a point, rather than to elicit an answer. In this quote, the question "If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?" is asked to suggest that even though winter may be cold and bleak, it is always followed by the warmer and brighter season of spring.