Poetic+Devices

1. Hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration that usually makes an often ridiculous comparison. ex. I would die without bacon.

2. Alliteration occurs when a series of words begin with the same letter. The words in the series can be separated by a few small words. ex. Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers

3. Rhythm & Rhyme is the pattern established in a poem, the placing of rhyming words and how the poem flows. ex. We people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentleman from sole to crown, Clean favored, and imperially slim. By: EdwinArlingtonRobinson ||
 * Whenever Richard Cory went to town,

4. Metaphor is a comparison that is not literal that does not use like or as. ex. He is a pig.

5. Analogy is a comparison used to highlight in what ways what is being compared is similar. Similes and metaphors are examples of analogy. ex. He is a dog. Sorrow is like the most delicate rain that burns through your skin.

6. Repetition is a sound, syllable, word, phrase, line, stanza, or metrical pattern that is used more than once. It is used to put special emphasis on a certain spot in a poem. ex. Because I do not hope to turn again Because I do not hope Because I do not hope to turn... from 'Ash-Wednesday' by T. S. Eliot

7. Personification is the act of giving human qualities to anything that is not human. ex. The wind threw open the door.

8. Allusion is a reference to an unrelated or unexpected person, place or event. It does not matter whether it is real or fictitious. ex. He is no Hercules.

9. Euphemism is a way of saying something that could be offensive in a nicer and politer way. ex. She has passed on. This is a euphemism because of the use of “passed on” instead of “died”.

10. Imagery is the use of words or phrases that appeal to the senses. ex. The emerald green lake dazzled in the warm yellow glow of the glittering sun.

11. Irony occurs when what is said in a poem is contradicted by some other aspect of that poem or when something is stated sarcastically that is obviously not true. Irony is a figure of speech. ex. The shoes were torn to threads, “Nice shoes,” someone says. "Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable man" From Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

12. Malapropism is the misuse of a word in a humourous or absurd way. This usually happens with words that look almost the same and/or are spelled almost the same. ex. “Don’t” is a contraption.

13. Onomatopoeia refers to when words in poetry sound like the thing that they are referring to. ex. cuckoo, neigh

14. Oxymoron refers to when words in a poem contradict each other. This often occurs when the poet places words with opposite meanings side-by-side. ex. Parting is such sweet sorrow.

15. Satire is a part of poetry that attacks a vice, stupidness or foolishness using wit, irony or sarcasm. ex. You are so dumb that you don’t even understand the fact that there is an semi-permeable membrane separating the two of us, so only my insults can get through. Hah!

16. Simile is a comparison using the word like or as. ex. She is like a sparrow. He stole my heart as Romeo stole Juliet’s.

17. Symbol is something that represents something else. Good poets make everything symbolic of something. ex. In The Portable Phonograph a symbol is the “...young trees trying again.” This is a symbol for trying to maintain and carry on after a disaster, just like the men are trying to do.

18. Theme is the dominant idea and main focus of the poem. It is the message that the author is trying to get across. It is usually about a part of humanity. The poets often try to use poem to let us question how humane we really are. ex. Despite the circumstances, the human instinct to protect what is loved will always prevail.

[|Imitation By: Edgar Allan Poe] [|Summer and Sleep]