What effect does the repetition of the word ‘where’ at the beginning of each line have?

Questions › What effect does the repetition of the word ‘where’ at the beginning of each line have?

Susmita Roy asked 7 years ago

What is the effect of repetition of the word ‘where’ in Rabindranath Tagore’s poem ‘Where the Mind is Without Fear’?

Or, Why does the poet use the word ‘where’ seven times?

Where the Mind is Without Fear

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1 Answers

Jayanta Kumar Maity Staff answered 7 years ago

The repetition of the word ‘where’ at the beginning of every line gives it the emphasis it needs to build to the main point the poet aims to deliver at the end of the poem. The use of ‘where’ so many times enables the poet to describe the ‘heaven of freedom’ which he wants for his country. Moreover, it gives the poem a sort of rhythmic felicity.

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