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Common Poetic Devices

When analysing poetry, it is useful to know the most common poetic devices, so that we can express ourselves as precisely as possible.
Sketch of three people working on a computer and reading books.
Image: Siren Halvorsen / CC BY-SA 4.0

Poetry analysis has developed into a profession with a vast vocabulary. If we rely on internet searches, it is easy to get lost in the multitude of words and phrases used when describing poetry. Below, we have gathered some common terms. If you study them carefully and practise finding them in texts, you will be well prepared to analyse any poem.

Sound:

How a poem sounds is important because it influences how we perceive and interpret the poem. Read on to learn more about literary devices that can be used to shape the way a poem sounds.

Assonance:

Assonance is a repetition of one particular vowel sound or group of vowel sounds. Below you will find an example of assonance from the song "Hold Ya Head", by Tupac Shakur. Can you point out the examples of assonance in the text?

Expose foes, with my hocus pocus flows
They froze
Now suckas idealize my chosen blows.

Answer key:

Expose foes, with my hocus pocus flows
They froze
Now suckas idealize my chosen blows.

Listen to how you pronounce the o in "now", compared to the o in "expose". Do you hear the difference? Assonance is created by sounds, not letters.

Alliteration:

Alliteration is when the initial consonant sound is repeated. Alliteration is sometimes called "head rhyme" or "initial rhyme". Here is an example from the poem "Pied Beauty" by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Point out the words that create alliteration in the text.

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;

Answer key:

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;

The repetition of the consonant sound f at the beginning of these four words is an example of alliteration.

If you notice a repetition of consonants in the middle or end of words and wonder if this is a poetic device, look up the definition of consonance.

Onomatopoeia:

Onomatopoeia are words that imitate how something sounds. These are words like "bark", "slurp", "bang", "krack", and "crash". Take a look at these lines from the poem "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" by Robert Browning, and point out the words that are examples of onomatopoeia.

There was a rustling that seemed like a bustling
Of merry crowds justling at pitching and hustling,
Small feet were pattering, wooden shoes clattering,
Little hands clapping and little tongues chattering

Answer key:

There was a rustling that seemed like a bustling
Of merry crowds justling at pitching and hustling,
Small feet were pattering, wooden shoes clattering,
Little hands clapping and little tongues chattering

Rhyme:

When similar sounds are repeated in different words, we call it rhyme. There are many types of rhymes. Below you will find examples of end rhyme, cross rhyme, and internal rhyme.

End rhyme: from the nursery rhyme "Rain, Rain, Go Away".

Rain, rain, go away
Come again some other day
Little Johnny wants to play

Cross rhyme: from Robert Frost’s poem "The Road Not Taken".

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood

Internal rhyme: from Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven".

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Rhythm:

Rhythm is found in all speech. All words are made up of syllables. The name "Eminem" contains three syllables, the word "carrot" contains two. Try to tap or clap for each syllable in your name: Does it create a rhythm?

The rhythm in poetry is comparable to the beat in music. As with rhyme, there are many different forms of rhythm. Rhythm in poetry is called "metre". If you want to go into detail about a poem's rhythm, you should study the different forms of metre. Metre is easiest to grasp when we hear it, so use an internet search to find videos about the topic. You may for example look up the rhythm that was William Shakespeare's favourite: iambic pentameter.

Repetition:

Repetition is used to draw attention to or underline a point. Repeating the same words or the same lines in a poem draws attention to what is said. It also influences the rhythm of a poem. When looking for repetition, make sure that you only point out words that are repeated deliberately to create an effect. Words can be used many times in a text without it being deliberate repetition; for example, words like "the", "a", or "is". Below you find an example of repetition in the poem "War is Kind" by Stephen Crane. How is repetition used here?

Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.
Because your father tumbles in yellow trenches,
Raged at his breast, gulped and died,
Do not weep
War is kind.

Answer key:

In this excerpt, there are two examples of repetition. The phrases "Do not weep" and "War is kind" are repeated twice.

There is a contrast between the message of the repeated phrases and the description of the father's death. From the description, we picture a soldier dying in the trenches of the First World War, during a gas attack. The repetition of the phrases "Do not weep", and "War is kind" creates contrast and suggests that the poet is being sarcastic.

Imagery:

Imagery is the language poets use to put pictures in our minds. The goal is to create a sensory experience by creating images related to touch, taste, smell, sound, or sight. Here is a list of different literary devices that can be used to create imagery.

Simile:

When we make comparisons using comparison words such as "like" and "as", we use a simile. Examples: She is as strong as an ox. That dog is like a hurricane. Below you find an excerpt from the poem "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns. Can you find any examples of similes?

O, my Luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June.
O, my Luve's like a melodie
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

Answer key:

O, my Luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June.
O, my Luve's like a melodie
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

Are "That's newly sprung in June" and "That's sweetly play'd in tune" parts of the similes? What is your opinion and why?

Metaphor:

When we make a comparison without using explicit comparison words we use a metaphor. Here is an excerpt from the poem "Democracy" by Langston Hughes. What is being compared in the example?

Freedom
Is a strong seed
Planted
In a great need.

Answer key:

Freedom
Is a strong seed
Planted
In a great need.

The metaphor here is the description of freedom as a seed. What do freedom and seeds have in common? It is up to us as readers to think about that and try to come up with an explanation.

Personification:

Personification is a kind of metaphor that attributes human abilities and qualities to inanimate objects or abstractions.

Personification can be difficult to distinguish from anthropomorphism, which is when we attribute human characteristics to a god, animal, or object.

Zoomorphism is similar to both personification and anthropomorphism, but here animal characteristics are given to humans, objects, and events.

Below you will find an excerpt from Emily Dickinson’s poem "The Train". Can you find an example of personification here, or is it anthropomorphism or zoomorphism?

I like to see it lap the miles,
And lick the valleys up,
And stop to feed itself at tanks

Answer key:

I like to see it lap the miles,
And lick the valleys up,
And stop to feed itself at tanks

Any of the terms "personification", "antrophomorphism", or "zoomorphism" would work to describe this passage. While we may find it most natural to say that an animal laps, licks, or feeds, humans can do that too. This shows us that it can be difficult to separate these techniques. When in doubt, it is most common to use "personification" to describe this type of poetic device.

Symbol:

Whereas metaphors and similes are used to make comparisons, symbols are material objects that are used to represent something abstract. Crosses, rings, and hearts are examples of objects that are loaded with meanings. Here is an excerpt from the poem "The Rain" by William H. Davies. Can you see any symbolism in the example?

I hear leaves drinking rain;
I hear rich leaves on top
Giving the poor beneath
Drop after drop;

Answer key:

This is a tricky one, but the most common way to analyse this passage is to see it as describing a social class system. The rich leaves get the most rain, while the poor leaves only get drops. This is a comment on the distribution of wealth in society.

Allusion:

An allusion is when we refer to for example another text, film, or song in our own text. An allusion can be a reference to a myth, a place, a famous person, a literary or religious texts, art, and so on. The poet leaves it to the reader to find a connection between the other work and the poem. Take a look at this example from the poem "R & B" by Patience Agbabi. What are the allusions made here?

You're Scarlett O'Hara, I'm Betty Blue.
I'm the blue pill in the Matrix and you're the red.

Answer key:

Scarlett O'Hara is the protagonist in the film Gone With the Wind. Betty Blue is a French film from 1986, in which the protagonist is called Betty. The Matrix is also a film, from 1999.

Diction:

Diction is the choice of words or style used by the writer in order to convey their message. The poet has to consider the word’s denotation – the literal meaning of the word, and its connotation – the feeling, thoughts, and ideas aroused by the word. When looking at diction in a poem, it is useful to ask yourself: Is this written in a formal or informal way? Is it serious or funny?

Theme:

The theme is what a poem is about or the statement the poem or the poet makes about a certain subject. The theme may be stated directly or indirectly. Ask yourself: Why has the poet written this poem? What does the text make me think about?

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