4. Explanation of stanza 2

  

In the second stanza, the speaker lists out the comet's attributes. He also compares it with two distinct entities to make the readers understand the comet's features.
 
To begin with, he compares a comet with a cheetah. A Cheetah, known as the fastest land animal, could run as fast as \(80\) to \(130\) km/h. He states that a comet is faster than a cheetah, moving about \(3000\) km/h.

 

 

The speaker then moves on to describe the length of a comet's tail. He claims that it is "miles long". The word "miles" denotes that the tail is exceptionally long. Scientific studies prove that a comet's tail can reach \(150\) million kilometres in length

Later, the speaker points out how strong and mighty a comet can be. He does so by comparing the comet to a mountain.

 

Mountains are known for their strength and build. They are enormous, solid, and powerful. However, comets are bigger, stronger, and more powerful than the mountains.

In associating and comparing the comet with familiar and earthly objects such as cheetah and mountain, the speaker makes the readers familiarise themselves with the attributes of a comet. The comparisons help the readers understand the concept of a comet easier and better. From the second stanza, we have understood that a comet is extremely and unimaginably fast, big, and powerful.

 

Meanings of difficult words: