WAEC - Literature In English (2007 - No. 29)
Read the passage and answer the question
world have been Heathcliff's miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning.My great thought in living is himself. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be. And if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would be turned to a mighty stranger _ is should not seem a part of it. My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods; time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath _ as source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff!. He's always, always in my mind _ not as a pleasure to myself, but as my own being....
If all else perished and he remained illustrates
world have been Heathcliff's miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning.My great thought in living is himself. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be. And if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would be turned to a mighty stranger _ is should not seem a part of it. My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods; time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath _ as source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff!. He's always, always in my mind _ not as a pleasure to myself, but as my own being....
If all else perished and he remained illustrates
paradox
irony
bathos
antithesis
Explanation
A paradox is a statement that appears contradictory but may reveal a deeper truth.
In the phrase "If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be.", the speaker suggests that their existence is entirely dependent on Heathcliff's, even if everything else is gone. This seems contradictory because logically, if "all else perished," one would expect the speaker to cease to exist as well. However, the deeper meaning suggests an intense, almost existential bond between the speaker and Heathcliff.
Comments (0)
