Read these lines from the poem. a thousand martyrs i have made, all sacrificed to my desire; what is the meaning of the figurative language in these lines? the speaker compares herself to a martyr because she equates each failed relationship with death. the speaker is overcome with emotional pain because of failed romances. although martyrs usually suffer death, the people referred to here were used and discarded, not killed. because the speaker demands a great deal from her romantic partners, she is acknowledging what they have given up for her.