Question

Sea Fever
by John Masefield

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again to the vagrant gypsy life.
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

Which figure of speech does the speaker in the poem use to emphasize why he longs to be at sea?
A. alliteration
B. onomatopoeia
C. repetition
D. assonance

Answer 1

Alliteration is the figure of speech that the speaker of the poem uses to emphasize why he longs to be at sea. 

Answer 2

The correct answer is: Option C. Repetition.

Repetition is a literary device used to repeat the same words or phrases several times in order to emphasize an idea.

Every stanza in the poem begins with the same phrase. This phrase being "I must go down to the seas again", which is then followed by verses that start with the same conjunction (at least in the first stanza; each verse starts with "And").

This repetitive device emphasizes the speaker's desire to go to the sea.