Question

what poetic technique does henry wadsworth longfellow use in this excerpt from the poem \the day is done\?

the day is done, and the darkness
falls from the wings of night,
as a feather is wafted downward
from an eagle in his flight.

a. assonance
b. enjambment
c. iambic pentameter
d. consonance

Explanation:

To determine the poetic technique, analyze each option:

• Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds. The excerpt has repeated long "a" sounds (e.g., "day," "darkness," "feather," "eagle") and long "i" sounds (e.g., "is," "flight"), fitting assonance.
• Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence across lines. The excerpt’s lines end with complete thoughts, so no enjambment.
• Iambic pentameter: A meter with 10 syllables (5 iambs) per line. The lines here do not follow this (e.g., "The day is done" has 4 syllables).
• Consonance: Repetition of consonant sounds. The focus here is on vowel sounds, not consonants.

Thus, assonance (A) is the correct technique.

Answer:

A. assonance