The diction in strophe number 1 is toned very quickly. Right away the Chorus lets you know what it is about. Almost immediately I realized that the first strophe was talking about the power of man. The first thing I noticed was that it said that "none more powerful than man." This shows that the power of man is being stressed. Another thing is how it says that "numberless are the worlds wonders," Here it makes the reader believe that the ode is going to talk about the wonders of the world, and in a way it does. But not in the way that is expected. It only talks about the power that man has. It also shows how the man has power over animals as well. In the line " With the shining furrows where his plows have gone year after year, the timeless labor of stallions. The strophe also has a large amount of Figurative language. In this strophe, the reader is being given examples as to why man is so great. It says that the sea yields to him when it is said "The stormgray sea yields to his prows." It is also said that man has power over the mountains when it says " The huge crests bear him high," Man is continuously being praised. The strophe shows that man is capable of anything, and it proves it by using all of these examples.

Here man is once again being praised. This time, man is being shown as superior over what occurs on Earth, as in the seasons and the elements. Here man is shown as more power ful in quotes such as "Skill that deflects the arrows of snow," This shows that man has figured out ways of doing thing even with snow being an obstacle. Also it says " The spears of winter rain," Once again it is being shown that man has overcome many things, and that even when there is water all over, man can still do what he needs. In the Figurative language, it is shown how man uses his intelligence to overcome the obstacles that are snow and rain. It shows that once again man is able to rule the challenges that Earth gives to him. But, the ode finally starts to say that man is not perfect when the quote "He has made himself secure from all but one, in the late wind of death he cannot stand." This shows that no matter how many great powers man has, like anything else, man has a weakness. This weakness is the inevitable, the inescapable, death. Man cannot change this weakness, and never will be able to.

The lightboned birds and beasts that cling to cover,

Once again man is being praised. This time man's power over animals is being shown. This power is shown by the non-direct insulting of the animals. Words such as "Lightboned birds," and "Beasts that cling to cover," also "The lithe fish lighting their reaches of dim water," are all just ways of showing how much weaker than the man animal is. Even animals that are stronger than man can't defeat him. This is shown in the quotes "The lion on the hill," and "The wild horse windy-maned," and it says that the "resign to him." Man's power is shown when it says words such as "Tamed in the net of his mind," and "All taken," Man has great power and this strophe show that no matter what, he dominates. This strophe uses figurative language to show the reason for the chorus talking about man. It is told that man has become the ruler of many different animals. The reason for this is to tell the reader that man is much more powerful than any animal, and that no matter what kind of problem man comes against, he will defeat it.

This time, it is not told how superior man is, unlike the other 3. It is now being talked about how man has a different attitude at different times in his life. Quotes such as "When the laws are kept how proudly he stands!" This shows how happy man is when everything is going great for him and there isn't anything wrong. Then it shows how the man is when things are going bad for him. The quote "When the laws are broken, what of his city then?" This shows that man does break his own rules. And when it is said that "O fate of man working both good and evil!" This shows how man does good and bad things, and how man can be hippocrtical. The figurative language in this is shown when it compares how things go good and then they go bad. When all the laws are maintained, man is happy and nothing bad happens. But as soon as there is broken law, all hell breaks loose. Man makes the laws, but then breaks them and by doing this is very hippocritical. It also shows how as soon as that one bad thing happens, anything can happen, and this anything includes man being knocked off as the most dominant.