Question

Which literary device does Edmund Spenser use in this excerpt from his Sonnet 9?

Resemble th'image of their goodly light.
Not to the sun: for they do shine by night;
Nor to the moon: for they are changed never;
Nor to the stars: for they have purer sight;
Nor to the fire: for they consume not ever;
Nor to the lightening: for they still persever;
Nor to the diamond: for they are more tender;
Nor unto crystal: for nought may them sever;


a. metaphor

b. simile

c. parallelism

d. consonance

Answer 1

The correct answer is C.

Answer 2

Answer: C. Parallelism.

Explanation: in poetry and literature, parallelism is a literary device that consists in the repetition of words, phrases or grammatical structures, in order  to make the text more symmetric, add rhythm or make it more effective. In the given excerpt from the Sonnet 9 by Edmund Spenser, we can see a clear example of parallelism, when the author uses the same structure in the phrases "...not to the sun: for they do shine by night", "..not to the moon: for they are changed never," etc.