books: the quintessence of literature
"He that loves a book will never want a faithful friend, a wholesome counselor, a cheerful companion, an effectual comforter. By study, by reading, by thinking, one may innocently divert and pleasantly entertain himself, as in all weathers, as in all fortunes." Barrow
The aforementioned quote signifies that a book is not just a collection of words or a set of pages bound together. Books have a greater role and purpose they serve us.
Some important words or phrases in this quote are: faithful friend, wholesome counselor, cheerful companion, and effectual comforter. These words give a sense of helpfulness. Friends, counselors, companions and comforters are people who use their abilities to help others. Books can be compared to these people because books provide us information, entertainment, comfort or help. Fiction novels, for example, can act as effectual comforters when life's obstacles are too much to handle, and provide a temporary escape from life. They could also be wholesome counselors, if they have a lesson to teach at the end. The phrases "innocently divert" and "pleasantly entertain" indicate that reading books not only provides us information, they could also be enjoyed. Books allow readers to divert from their hectic lives, put everything aside, and lose themselves to the essence of the book. The word "fortunes" means that people from any walks of life can benefit from a book, whether they are rich or poor. Their fortunes do not determine how much they can profit from a certain book. The word "weathers" means that regardless of a person's mood or surroundings, they can always turn to a book for entertainment or comfort.
The most prominent poetic element that is used in the quote is personification. In this quote, books are given human characteristics such as: faithful, wholesome, cheerful and effectual. Through the use of personification, books are no longer just books; they come alive to be companions when...
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