IB English A Literature Paper 1 (M17 TZ2)- The Bat (7) [Devices]

“The Bat” by Ruth Pitter is a lyrical poem that dives into a deeper meaning: the beauty of grace and benevolence. The poem begins with the narrator’s disgust at a bat. However, with a growing sense of pity and sympathy, the narrator transforms this hatred into love. In the poem, Pitter explores the theme of the beauty of grace and benevolence illustrated through literary devices such as imagery, meter, and diction.

Pitter begins her poem with the narrator’s initial impression of the bat which conveys intense disgust through demonizing diction. In stanza 1, the narrator’s reaction to the bat can be summed up by fear and loathe, for it is considered as “unholy” (line 1) and inspired by the “demon” (line 5). Here, the diction not only portrays the bat as ungodly and fearsome but reveals a revulsion deeply rooted in Christianity…