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WAEC SSCE - Literature In English - 2007 (Objective)

Question 1 Report

UNSEEN POETRY AND PROSE

Read the poem and answer the question
Bent-double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we curse through sludge
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,
And towards our distant rest began to trudge,
Men marched asleep, many had lost their boots,
But limped on, blood-shed. All went lame, all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; even deaf to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softy behind.

The dominant figure of speech in the first stanza is
Answer Details
The dominant figure of speech in the first stanza is simile. This is because the poet is using the words "like" and "as" to compare the soldiers to "old beggars under sacks" and "hags". The soldiers are also described as "bent-double" and "knock-kneed", which further emphasizes their physical exhaustion and suffering. The use of simile helps to create a vivid image of the soldiers' plight and conveys the harsh realities of war.
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