Thou Blind Man's Mark Figurative Language

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Introduction Desire is characterized by an urge or want to do something. In “Thou Blind Man’s Mark” by Sir Philip Sidney, he explains that desire can control one’s actions and hinder one’s quest for internal fulfillment. Through the use of language, alliteration, personification and repetition, Sidney conveys his past experience, hatred and contempt toward desire. Body Paragraphs Language and Repetition Before naming the culprit, he describes it as the “blind man’s mark” and the “fool’s self-chosen snare” suggesting that it deceives men who lack discernment and who are foolish. After desire traps its victim, it can control the victim’s mind and drag them down to only want “worthless ware[s]”. He also employs strong language such as “band of …show more content…

His own personal experience with desire contributes to his attitude toward desire and intensifies his stance on desire. He also repeats the phrase “in vain” throughout as a way to convey that indulging in the temptations of desire accomplishes nothing and are useless. Personification, Rhyme and Alliteration As a way to shine some insight on his attitude toward desire, Sidney personifies desire and uses a rhyme scheme. Sidney endows desire with malicious human characteristics. The assertions of “thou hast my ruin sought” and “thou madest me to vain things aspire” imply that desire is capable of misguiding one’s mind and influence one to only care about materialistic fulfillments. Rhyme enhances the poet’s attitude with words such as “snare”, “care”, “aspire” and “fire”. Uses of alliteration such as “cradle of causeless care”, “worthless ware” and “mangled mind” emphasizes the impact of desire on someone and damage desire can do. While Sidney mostly expresses his contempt for desire, he also mentions the lesson virtue taught him which was to “seek [his] only hire” inside himself and not only seek earthly pleasures. This lesson led him to no longer be controlled by desire and allow desire to die.

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