Literary Devices in Poetry
As with any form of writing, the use of literary devices in poetry can have a powerful effect on readers. Devices such as alliteration, rhythm, rhyme, and metaphor can be used to create imagery and manipulate emotions. These effects can transform a simple poem into a masterpiece.
Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the start of words in a line of text. It is often used to add emphasis to a particular phrase or idea in the poem. For example, the opening of Emily Dickinson’s “The Fly” contains the alliteration: “Finger of a Missionary, at my Window, tapping.” By emphasizing this sound, Dickinson creates a sense of urgency in the poem.
Rhythm is the pattern of sounds used in a poem. It is created through the use of stressed or accented syllables, often determined by a meter or structure. This repetition of sound is what gives a poem its “beat” and helps create an auditory landscape for readers. For example, in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” the repeated refrain of “nevermore” produces an eerie sense of rhythm and suspense.
Rhyme is the repetition of similar sounds at the ends of lines in a poem. It is used to emphasize relationships between ideas and to create musicality in the text. Rhyme can also be used to convey emotion, such as joy and sorrow. A example of this is in William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” where the final couple of lines contain a joyful and hopeful rhyme: “And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines.”
Metaphor is the comparison of two unrelated things to suggest similarity. It is used to draw connections between ideas and to create vivid imagery. Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” contrasts a simple decision to take “the one less traveled by” with a metaphor for a life-altering decision.
Symbols & Images in Poetry
Symbols and images are other common devices used in poetry. Symbols are often used to represent abstract ideas, such as emotion or philosophy. In John Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” he uses the image of an object from Greek mythology to symbolize the beauty of art and nature. Images are descriptive words and phrases used to evoke vivid mental images in readers. For example, Emily Dickinson’s “The Secret of the Sea” contains imagery of “the shoreless ocean” and “the ploughman’s breath,” which help to create an atmosphere of openness and exploration.
The use of language can also have a powerful effect on readers. Belles-lettres, or literary language, can be used to create a rich and complex atmosphere. Through the use of metaphor, alliteration, and other figures of speech, poets can set the tone and create suspense in simple language. Elizabeth Bishop’s “One Art” uses the imagery of a simple game of solitaire to convey the notion of loss in powerful language.
Poetic structures, such as stanzas and lines, can also shape the content and form of a poem. Choosing a specific form of poetry, such as a villanelle or sonnet, can help writers to better organize their ideas and emphasize certain ideas. William Wordsworth’s “The Solitary Reaper” utilizes the sonnet structure to emphasize the theme of loneliness.
Figurative Language in Poetry
Figurative language is a type of writing which uses metaphors, similes, and other figures of speech. Figurative language adds a level of emotional complexity to a poem and can help to engage readers. Metaphors, for example, are comparisons between unrelated things that suggest similarity. In Walt Whitman’s “I Sing the Body Electric,” Whitman uses a long metaphor to represent the beauty of the human body.
Similes are a type of figurative language which compare two unrelated things using the words “like” or “as.” Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott” contains the simile: “She left the web, she left the loom. She made three paces through the room, She saw the water-lily bloom, Like a white star in the twilight gloom.” By comparing the image of the water-lily to that of a “white star,” Tennyson creates a beautiful image of a delicate flower in the twilight.
Figurative language can also take the form of an extended metaphor. In these cases, a metaphor is developed and explored throughout the poem. For example, in T.S Eliot’s “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock,” a metaphor of an empty shell is used to represent the protagonist’s isolation and alienation.
Personification & Imagery in Poetry
Personification is the act of attributing human characteristics to non-living things or abstract ideas. It is often used as a poetic device to make abstract ideas more real and vivid to readers. There are many examples of personification in literature. For example, in William Wordsworth’s “Daffodils,” Wordsworth assigns human traits to the flowers, saying, “they danced in the breeze.” By doing so, Wordsworth is able to create a sense of joy and energy that is not present in the literal description of the flowers.
Imagery is the use of descriptive words and phrases to evoke mental images. It is often used to create an atmosphere in a poem. Examples of imagery in Robert Frost’s “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” include “the woods [that] are lovely, dark, and deep” and “the horse’s feet [that] hit the damp, divoty ground.” Through the use of imagery, Frost creates a vivid winter landscape for readers to visualize.
The use of sound is also an important poetic device. Through the use of rhyme, alliteration, repetition, and other patterns of sound, poets can manipulate the mood of a poem. For example, in William Butler Yeats’ “The Lake Isle of Innisfree,” the rhythm and rhyme are used to create a sense of peace and longing.
Hyperboles & Irony in Poetry
Hyperboles and irony are other devices which can be used in poetry. Hyperbole is an exaggeration which is often used to emphasize a point or to create an emotional response. Irony is the use of language to convey the opposite of its literal meaning. Both of these devices can be used to add humor or complexity to a poem. For example, in William Blake’s “The Tyger” he uses hyperbole to describe the size of the tiger’s eyes, saying, “What the hammer? what the chain? In what furnace was thy brain?” These lines contain an exaggeration which conveys the power of the tiger.
Irony is also present in Blake’s “The Tyger,” with the creature portrayed by both its creator and observer. In the poem, the tiger is described both as a “fearful” creature as well as one created with “dread hands” and “fearful symmetry.” This juxtaposition of ideas creates a sense of irony which adds to the poem’s complexity.
Conceits in Poetry
A conceit is a comparison between two unlike things which creates a new meaning. It is often a type of extended metaphor used in poetry to explore an idea or a theme in greater depth. For example, in John Donne’s “The Canonization,” he compares love to a “sin,” saying, “For God’s sake, hold your tongue and let me love.” Through the comparison, Donne is able to explore the notion of love and how it can be perceived and judged by society.
The use of conceits can also help to create a richer and more expansive poem. In Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress,” Marvell compares the passage of time to a river to convey the idea of mortality. This comparison creates a vivid image and helps explore the theme of love and mortality in a creative way.
Personification and symbolism can also be used in conjunction with a conceit. In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” the personification of the bird and its symbolic task add further complexity to the poem. Ultimately, these devices help to create an atmosphere of suspense and despair, which are key themes in the poem.
