Every cook has a unique way of bringing flavor to various dishes. Poets, too, reap the joy of emoting their feelings, which receives emphasis with the help of poetic devices. They are like tools that writers use, which seem like a deliberate effort to make something stand out in their work. With the advent of different literary forms, many such devices have developed that elevated poets’ works to give readers a refreshing experience.
Even though they sound simple in their definition, many literature enthusiasts and students find it difficult to understand or identify these poetic devices. Although, a poetry fan or one who aims to create a career in this field should know the types, usages, explanations, and identifications.
With this article, many confusions related to some of the poetic devices shall evaporate with the help of simple explanations and relevant examples. Remember, we are covering just some of the many widely used devices in this article. Swooping right into them now.
Poetic Devices in Short
1. Alliteration
When learning about poetic devices, there is no way we cannot mention “alliteration.” Many learners find this literary device most easy to understand, remember, and identify. The dictionary definition of the word is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
“From forth the fatal loins of these two foes;
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life.”
The above lines are from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. You can identify that the words starting from the letter “F” and “L” are frequent. From, forth, fatal, foes and Loins, lovers, life- these are all alliterations.
2. Enjambment
Enjambment may be a new one for many because not everyone reads poetry to understand the poetic devices. Some simply want to enjoy the beauty of a poet’s imagination. Enjambment is when a poet leaves a particular line incomplete and continues it in the next line/verse/ stanza.
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness but still will keep A bower quiet for us, and asleep Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.”
These are lines from John Keats’ poem, Endymion. As you can see, lines two, three, and four are incomplete. The poet continues them in the next line, making it a classic example of enjambment.
3. Metaphor
Metaphor is amongst the pervasive literary devices that many poets resort to, even today. When a person attributes a human quality or emotion to an object or action, we call it a metaphor.
“Busy old fool, unruly sun,
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains call on us?”
The above lines are from the poem The Rising Sun, written by John Donne. The sun is not a living thing; we all know that! Yet the poet gives it human-like qualities by calling it a fool and unruly. It exhibits an example of a metaphor.
4. Pun
Who wouldn’t like some comedy from literature? A pun does just that! When a poet or a writer makes use of words that have more than one meaning or are homophones, it is a pun. More or less, it creates a sense of humor or adds irony in writing. Take a look at these lines from John Donne’s poetry, A Hymn to God The Father.
“When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done for I have more.
That at my death Thy Son / Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore
And having done that, Thou hast done;
I fear no more.”
In these lines, John plays with two pairs of words- “Donne” &”Done” and “More” and “More”. You see, his wife’s name was Alice More. Now after knowing this, re-read the lines to catch the pun in it.
5. Repetition
The term “repetition” is a give-away of what this poetic device means. When a writer/poet repeats a particular word/line to add emphasis to their point, it is a repetition. The idea behind doing so is also that a reader remembers the lines more easily due to the reoccurring words.
The woods are lovely dark and deep
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Almost all poetry fans have come across this poem penned by Robert Frost, titled, Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening. He repeats the line, “And miles to go before I sleep” twice in this stanza, and many times throughout the poem. It signifies how the poet was devoted to his worldly responsibilities, and so couldn’t stay longer to enjoy the beauty of nature. He compares sleep here to his retirement when he would finally have time to enjoy the things he likes.
We don’t want an overdo of poetic devices, but want every reader to remember and understand these. If you found this lesson helpful, then we would love to come another set of such devices in the future. Let us know in the comment section below, and we shall get right to it.
Literature fan? Check out this Shakespeare Vocabulary now! Click here to read more.
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