Read the extract given below and answer the questions (Q. Nos. 106–111) that follow :
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that is wondrously clear

I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

The use of ‘I rise’ in the poem is an example of :

The correct answer is repetition.

Explanation:
Repetition is a literary device where a word or phrase is repeated multiple times throughout a text, poem, or speech to create emphasis, rhythm, or a memorable effect. In the provided extract, the phrase "I rise" is repeated multiple times at the end of stanzas and lines (e.g., "But still, like air, I’ll rise", "I rise", "I rise / I rise / I rise."). This persistent repetition reinforces the speaker's resilience and determination to overcome adversity, making it a prominent example of repetition.

Let us briefly analyze the other options to understand why they are incorrect:
- Parallelism: This refers to using similar grammatical structures across sentences or clauses (e.g., "You may shoot me...", "You may cut me...", "You may kill me..."). While the poem contains parallelism in those lines, the specific use of the exact phrase "I rise" repeatedly is a direct example of repetition.
- Alliteration: This is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words (e.g., "welling and swelling" contains internal rhyme, but not alliteration). The phrase "I rise" does not depend on alliteration.
- Hyperbole: This is an intentional and obvious exaggeration used for emphasis or effect (e.g., "I'm a black ocean"). The phrase "I rise" itself is not a hyperbole.