Read the Question carefully and choose the correct option.
Robert Graves’s “In Broken Images” ends thus:
He in a new confusion of his understanding;
I in a new understanding of my confusion.
The figure of speech here is______.
1. Chiasmus
2. Catachresis
3. Inversion
4. Zeugma
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UGC-NET-English-December-2013-Shift-1-Q29
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Detailed Explanation & Answer
Chiasmus is a rhetorical figure in which:
Two parallel clauses are structured so that
Key words or ideas are reversed in order (an AB → BA pattern).
Classic formula:
AB / BA
This reversal is grammatical and conceptual, not merely word order.
Example: “She has all my love; my heart belongs to her.”
He in a new confusion of his understanding A → B
I in a new understanding of my confusion B → A
So the pattern is:
Confusion → Understanding
Understanding → Confusion
This exact crosswise reversal is the defining feature of chiasmus.
Catachresis
Catachresis is a strained or mixed metaphor (e.g., “the elbow of a road”).
No metaphorical misuse occurs here—only syntactic reversal.
Inversion
Inversion changes normal word order for emphasis.
The sentence order here is grammatically normal; the emphasis comes from idea reversal, not syntax distortion.
Zeugma
Zeugma involves one word governing two others in different senses.
Example: “He stole my heart and my wallet.”
Nothing like that occurs in the lines.
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