Cross of Gold

The most common device in “Cross of Gold” is figurative language, or phrasing that takes on meaning beyond the literal definition of the words. Most of Bryan’s figurative language uses are allusions. He relies on his audience’s knowledge of outside sources such as Christian symbolism. The title of the speech, “Cross of Gold,” comes from the last line of the speech where he says that his political opponents “shall not crucify mankind on a cross of gold” (206), thus comparing the working class to Jesus. Bryan also incorporates metaphors into the speech. He often references historical figures as well such as his extended comparison between McKinley and Napoleon. Bryan implies that McKinley’s popularity is waning as did Napoleons, saying, “He can hear with ever increasing distinctness the sound of the waves as they beat upon the lonely shores of St. Helena” (204). He references the island where Napoleon was exiled after his loss at the Battle of Waterloo and where he later died.

Bryan makes frequent use of parallelism to emphasize his ideas. Parallelism refers to the use of syntactically coordinated words, phrases, clauses, sentences, or paragraphs to emphasize meanings and point out relationships.