2. The band set up in the town square to play, and the musicians were pleasantly surprised when a small crowd gathered to listen.

What figurative language is this?

The figurative language used in this sentence is: oxymoron.

Explanation:

By definition, a crowd is the gathering of a large number of people. However, in the sentence we are analyzing here, the speaker says there was a "small crowd". The two words have, therefore, opposite meanings - a "small large number of people," so to speak.

This is an example of oxymoron, a type of figurative language that puts together two words with opposite meanings. In context, however, the words can be understood. Although crowds are made up of a large number of people, some crowds can have many more people than others. Thus, the idea of a small crowd is understandable.

we don't know what poem you are referring to

explanation:

may i see the passage?