Which figure of speech directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or abstraction?

Which figure of speech directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or abstraction?

• A. Allegory
• B. Assonance
• C. Apostrophe
• D. Myth

Answer: (C)

Apostrophe is a figure of speech where the speaker directly addresses someone who isn’t present or an abstract idea as if it could respond. This creates immediacy and emotional intensity by treating a nonhuman or imaginary entity—like Death, Fortune, or Love—as if it were a person who can hear and answer. For example, saying “O Death, be not proud” addresses Death as though it could hear the speaker, even though Death isn’t there to reply. That direct, imagined address is what defines apostrophe. Allegory involves hidden meanings expressed through symbolic characters and events; assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words for musical effect; a myth is a traditional story that explains phenomena or beliefs, often featuring gods and heroes. None of these center on directly addressing an absent or imaginary recipient the way apostrophe does.

Apostrophe is a figure of speech where the speaker directly addresses someone who isn’t present or an abstract idea as if it could respond. This creates immediacy and emotional intensity by treating a nonhuman or imaginary entity—like Death, Fortune, or Love—as if it were a person who can hear and answer. For example, saying “O Death, be not proud” addresses Death as though it could hear the speaker, even though Death isn’t there to reply. That direct, imagined address is what defines apostrophe.

Allegory involves hidden meanings expressed through symbolic characters and events; assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words for musical effect; a myth is a traditional story that explains phenomena or beliefs, often featuring gods and heroes. None of these center on directly addressing an absent or imaginary recipient the way apostrophe does.