poetic devices in poems

sudha-acharya.blogspot.com/2012/02/poetic-devices-in-all-poems.html

My Mother at Sixty-six (poetic devices/figures of speech)

By Kamala Das
Simile – a) her face ashen like that of a corpse
b) As a late winter’s moon
Personification - Trees sprinting
Metaphor – merry children spilling out of their homes
Repetition- smile and smile and smile…

Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda (poetic devices/figures of speech)

The poet has used symbols and comparisons to explain how we can end conflicts, wars
and corrosive activities that are leading to the death of our civilization. He advocates
keeping quiet and still for a while to introspect and understand ourselves and our
relationship with our brothers and nature to build a peaceful and harmonious world
order.
1. ‘Count to twelve’ – symbolizes a measure of time. The clock has twelve markings
on it, the year has twelve months and the day has twelve hours
2. Let’s-repetition to create a bond with the reader and stress his point.
3. ‘Fishermen in the cold sea…hurt hands’-symbolic image showing how man is
ruthlessly destroying nature and harming other species in cold blood for his selfish need
and greed. The ‘hurt hands’ – the sore hands of the salt gatherer would make him realize
how he is harming himself by his mindless corrosive activities.
4. ‘…put on clean clothes’- metaphor. The poet says that quiet introspection will
make us comprehend the destructive nature of wars. Man would shed his blood soiled
clothes and don on clean clothes i.e. he would cleanse his soul, heart and mind, purging
it of all anger and hatred.
5. Brothers – symbol of mankind

6. In the shade- metaphor- just as shade protects us from the harsh sun, we will
protect and shelter each other as brothers, thus live in peace and harmony.

7. no truck - euphemism
8. Earth can teach us as when everything … symbol, Just as earth, the greatest
creator, in its sleeping mode appears to be dead on surface but is actually dormant and
carefully preserving the seeds of life, human beings too need to keep still and quiet to
rejuvenate and awaken the life forces within and be productive.

A Thing of beauty-John Keats (poetic devices/figures of speech)

Metaphor: bower quiet; sweet dreams; wreathing a flowery band; pall; endless fountain

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of immortal drink
Alliteration: noble natures; cooling covert; band to bind
Imagery: flowery bands, shady boon, daffodils in green world, clear rills, cooling covert,
grandeur of dooms, endless fountain of eternal drink
Symbol: simple sheep – refers to mankind as Christ is the shepherd
Transferred epithet: gloomy days; unhealthy and o’er darkened ways

A Roadside Stand by Robert Frost (poetic devices/figures of speech)

The use of personal pronoun shows poet’s involvement and draws reader’s concern.
‘didn’t it see’ -The use of ‘it’ for people indicates they are inhuman
Transferred epithet –1)polished traffic (the traffic is not polished, people are polished)
2)Selfish cars
Metaphor/ figurative speech-1) the flower of cities from sinking and withering faint;
2) Swarm over their lives
3) Teaching them to sleep they sleep all day
Oxymoron and Alliteration - Greedy good doers; beneficent beasts of prey
Personification:
· A roadside stand that too pathetically pled(also alliteration)
· Sadness that lurks near the open window there/ that waits all day
· Voice of country
Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger(poetic devices/figures of speech)
By Adrienne Rich
Alliteration-Finger’s fluttering; prancing proud; chivalric certainty; weight of wedding
band
Visual imagery- Bright topaz denizens;world of green
Irony: It is ironical that Aunt Jennifer’s creations- the tigers will continue to pace and
prance freely, while Aunt herself will remain terrified even after death, ringed by the
ordeals she was controlled by in her married life.

Symbols:
Wedding band- symbol of oppression in an unhappy marriage. Its weight refers to the
burden of gender expectations. Ringed means encircled or trapped, losing individuality
and freedom.
Aunt Jennifer- a typical victim of male oppression in an unhappy marriage, who suffers
loss of individuality, dignity and personal freedom silently. She becomes dependent,
fearful and frail.
Tigers- symbolize untamed free spirit. Here they stand in contrast to their creator’s
personality. The use of colours implies that Aunt Jennifer's tigers and their land are more
vital and enjoy a sense of freedom far greater than her. They pace and prance freely,
proudly, fearless, confident and majestic, fearless of men
Yellow (bright topaz) connotes the sun and fierce energy; green reminds one of spring
and vitality.

Embroidery- symbol of creative expression. The artwork expresses the Aunt’s

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suppressed desires and becomes her escape from the oppressive reality of her life.
Aunt (last stanza) – as opposed to Aunt Jennifer. It shows that she has lost her identity
completely, thus lost even her name.

Metaphor:
Ringed with ordeals: even death would not free her as the wedding band, a symbol of
oppression,, would yet be on her finger.

Terrified fingers: transferred epithet

‘Pace’ and ‘prance’ are action words. The rhyme mimics the movement of the tigers.

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