Poetic devices

“Looking to spice up your writing?

POETIC DEVICES are the salt and pepper of writing; when
deployed effectively, they add flavor and texture to your work”

Meaning
• Poetic devices are a form of literary device used in poetry.
Poems are created out of poetic devices composite of:
structural, grammatical, rhythmic, metrical, verbal, and
visual elements.

Why Poetic devices are essential?

• Poetic devices are tools that a poet can use to create

rhythm, enhance a poem's meaning, or intensify a mood or
feeling. These devices help piece the poem together, much
like a hammer and nails join planks of wood together.

Resons why we use Poetic devices

• While the goal of using ordinary language is simply to

communicate a message, the goal of using poetic language
is to convey a deeper meaning, feeling, or image to one's
audiance. It purposefully includes imagery anf figurative
language to create this effect.
tyPes of Poetic devices
1. Alliteration: The occurrence of the same letter or
sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely
connected words.
E.g. “From forth the fatal lions of these two foes…”

2. Anaphora: It involves words or phrases at the

beginning of successive lies, clauses, or sentences in
a poem.
E.g. “That’s hidden in an infant’s face
That’s all I know.”

3. Antithesis: It creates contrasting ideas in a

balanced grammatical structure. In poetry, antithesis
can create an effect of tragic irony.
E.g. Paradise Lost by John Milton: In this verse, Satan
claims he is happier as the king of Hell than he would
have been as a servant in Heaven. This antithesis
drives home the contrast between Hell and Heaven,
and between ruling and serving.
4. Apostrophe: When a speaker addresses a person
or thing that is not present, such as an abstract
concept or an inanimate object’
E.g. “O powerful western fallen star!”

5. Assonance: It involves repeating similar or

identical vowel sounds in words that are close
together in poem or sentence.
E.g. “His tender heir might bear his memory”
Here the sound “eh” sounds in ‘tender’, ‘heir’, ‘bear’,
and ‘memory’ is an example of assonance.

6. Enjambment: It is the continuation of a sentence or

phrase from one line of poetry to the next without
continuation.
E.g. “April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain”

7. Hyperbole: It uses extreme exaggeration to

emphasize a point, convey strong emotions, or
heighten a situation’s comedy.
E.g. “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”
8. Hypothetical Situation: It is an imagined scenario
that is used to explore the outcomes of specific
conditions or actions.
E.g. “If only they have saved her…”

9. Irony: It is a situation in which there is a contrast

between expectation and reality.
E.g. “I say that the world go to Hell, but I should
always have my tea.”

10. Imagery: It uses vivid language and description to

appeal to the reader’s senses and imagination.
E.g. “Pouring unto as from the heaven’s brink.”

11. Inversion: It is when sentence format [subject,

verb, object] are not used.
E.g. “Was it when I found my mind was really mine.”

12. Metaphor: It is a direct comparison of two things

that are not related.
E.g. “A heart of stone”

13. Oxymoron: It combines contradictory words to

create a new meaning or phrase.
E.g. Act 1, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet contains 13
oxymorons, including “O brawling love! O loving
hate!”

14. Personification: It gives human qualities to non-

human things, such as animals, plants or inanimate
objects.
E.g. “The clouds wept all evening”

15. Repetition: It involves repeating words, phrases,

lines, or stanzas.
E.g. “All I did was smile and smile and smile…”

16. Rhyme: It is the repetition of syllables, typically at

the end of a verse line.
E.g. “My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the new night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends-
It gives a lovely light!’

17. Simile: It is used to compare two things using

words ‘like’, ‘as’, or ‘than’.
E.g. “As sweet as sugar”
18. Symbolism: It uses objects, people, places,
actions, or evets to represent ideas or themes
beyond their literal meaning.
E.g. “In To Kill a Mockingbird, the mockingbird
symbolizes innocence and beauty.
19. Consonance: A resemblance in sound between
two words.
E.g. “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers”
20. Transfer Epithet: It involves transferring an
adjective, phrase, or epithet, from one noun to
another.
E.g. “Suicidal sky”
Usage of Poetic devices
in Poetry
1. MY MOTHER AT SIXTY-SIX – kAMAlA dAS
1. ALLITERATION: (i) I saw my mother, beside me….
(ii) But soon put that thought away….
(iii) But all I said was, see you soon…
2. ASSONANCE: (i) to Cochin last Friday morning…
(ii) doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse….
3. IMAGERY: Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
4. METAPHOR: merry children spilling
5. PERSONIFICATION: Trees sprinting
6. REPETITION: all I did was smile and smile and smile…
7. SIMILE: (i) doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse….
(ii) she was as old as a pale winter’s moon
8.CONSONANCE: that she was as old as she
looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
• Use of the sound ‘s’ and ‘t’.
2. kEEpIng quIET – pAblO nERudA
1. ALLITERATION: (i) Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.
(ii) we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.
(iii) would look at his hurt hands...
(iv) wars with gas, wars with fire…
(v) would put on clean clothes….
(vi) If we were not so single-minded…
2. ASSONANCE: (i) Now we will count to twelve…
(ii) For once on the face of Earth…
(iii) and not move our arms so much.
(iv) victory with no survivors...
• Use of sound ‘O’.
3. ANAPHORA: let’s not speak in any language,
let’s stop for one second…
4. ENJAMBMENT: and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with
death.
5. HYPERBOLE: For once on the face of Earth
6. HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION: If we were mot so single-minded
about keeping ourselves moving…
7. IMAGERY: (i) Fisherman in the cold sea
(ii) Perhaps the Earth could teach us
8. IRONY: victory with no survivors.
9. METAPHOR: (i) would put on clean clothes
(ii) I want no truck with death
10. OXYMORON: victory with no survivors
11. PERSONIFICATION: Perhaps the Earth could teach us
12. REPETITION: (i) without rush, without engines…
(ii) wars with gas, wars with fire…
13. SYMBOLISM: (i) Now we will count to twelve
(ii) Fisherman and whales.
(iii) would put on clean clothes.
14. TRANSFER EPITHET: cold sea
3. A THIng Of bEAuTY – jOHn kEATS

1.ALLITERATION: (i) A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health...
(ii) Therefore, on every morrow are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us…
(iii) Of noble natures…
(iv) Some shape of beauty…
(v) Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep: and such are…
(vi) That for themselves a cooling covert…
(vii) All lovely tales that we have heard…

2. ANTITHESIS: Trees old, and young, sprouting…

3. ANAPHORA: Of noble natures, of the gloomy days

Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways…

4. IMAGERY: (i) A flowery band to bind us…

(ii) Such the sun, the moon
Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon…
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
(iii) Pouring onto us from the heaven’s brink.
(iv) Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms…
(v) grandeur of the dooms…
(vi) mighty dead

5. INVERSION: are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to

the Earth.
6. METAPHOR: (i) A bower quiet
(ii) sweet dreams
(iii) wreathing a flowery band
(iv) immortal drink

7. SYMBOLISM: (i) Trees old, and young…

(ii) Simple sheep…

8. HYPERBOLE: An endless fountain of immortal drink.

9. TRANSFER EPITHET: immortal drink.

10. OXYMORON: mighty dead.

4. A ROAdSIdE STAnd – RObERT fROST
1.ALLITERATION: (i) pathetically pled
(ii) far from the city
(iii) moving-pictures’ promise
(iv) party in power
(v) think for themselves
(vi) greedy good-doers
(vii) beneficent beasts of prey
(viii) the sound of a stopping car
(ix) gallon of gas

2. ANAPHORA: (i) The flower of cities from sinking and withering

faint,
The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead.
(ii) Or crook-necked golden squash with silver
warts,
Or beauty rest in a beautiful mountain scene.

3. HYPERBOLE: (i) And by teaching them how to sleep they sleep

all day...
(ii) Of all the thousand selfish cars that pass
(iii) I can’t help owing the great relief it would be

4. IMAGERY: (i) The little old house was out with a little new shed
(ii) Or crook-necked golden squash with silver
warts,
Or beauty rest in a beautiful mountain scene.
(iii) For the squeal of breaks, and the sound of a
stopping car
5. IRONY: (i) mercifully gathered
(ii) And one did stop, but only to plow up grass

6. METAPHOR: (i) The flower of cities

(ii) trusting sorrow
(iii) life of the moving pictures’ promise
(iv) greedy good-doers, beneficent beast of prey

7. TRANSFER EPITHET: (i) polished traffic

(ii) selfish cars

8. OXYMORON: (i) polished traffic

(ii) childish longing in vain

9. PERSONIFICATION: (i) A roadside stand that too pathetically

plead.
(ii) The polished traffic passed with a mind
ahead.
(iii) The hurt to the scenery
(iv) The sadness that lurks near the open
window there…
(v) voice of the country

10. REPETITION: (i) The little old house was out with a little
new shed.
(ii) Of signs with N turned wrong and S
turned wrong.
(iii) And by teaching then how to sleep they
sleep all day.
5. AunT jEnnIfER’S TIgERS – AdRIEnnE RIcH

1.ALLITERATION: (i) They pace in sleek chivalric certainty

(ii) Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering through…
(iii) Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.

2. ANAPHORA: They do not fear the men beneath the tree,

They pace in sleek chivalric certainty

3. HYPERBOLE: The massive weight of uncle’s wedding band

Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand

4. IMAGERY: (i) Bright topaz denizens of a world of green

(ii) The massive weight of uncle’s wedding band

5. METAPHOR: (i) chivalric certainty

(ii) ringed with ordeals

6. PERSONIFICATION: (i) Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand

(ii) Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid

7. TRANSFER EPITHET: terrified hands

8. SYMBOLISM: •The tigers embroidered by Aunt Jennifer

symbolizes her desire for freedom.
•The ‘massive weight of uncle’s wedding band
symbolizes the oppressive nature of marriage.
To explore and analyze the effective use of poetic
device in literature, aiming to:
• Identify and explain the poetic device
used by poets to convey meaning, tone,
and atmosphere.
• Analyze how poetic devices contribute
to the overall impact and interpretation
of a poem.
• Create original poetry that demonstrate
a mastery of various poetic devices,
such as metaphor, simile, imagery and
symbolism.
• Evaluate the role of poetic devices in
evoking emotions, conveying themes, and
enhancing the reader’s experience.
Exploring poetic devices has been a game-changer
for me. I never realized how much depth and meaning
poets could convey through subtle techniques like
metaphor, simile, and imagery. At first, I thought
poetry was just about rhyming words and pretty
language, but now I see it as a powerful tool for
storytelling and self-expression.
What struck me most was how poetic devises can
evoke emotions and create vivid pictures in the readers
mind. Like how a simple metaphor can compare two
seemingly unrelated things and reveal a profound truth.
Or how imagery can transport you to a different time
and place.
Overall, learning about poetic devices has
deepened my love for poetry and language. I am excited
to continue exploring and mastering these technics to
become a better reader and writer.
ACTION PLAN: Exploring poetic devices
ACTIONS:
1. Research and identify: Research and identify
20 poetic devices (e.g., metaphor, simile, imagery,
personification, etc.…)
2. Analyze Poetry: Analyze 5 poems and identify the
poetic devices used in each poem.
3. Reflect and Revise: Reflect on the learning process
and revise syllabus poetry to enhance the use of poetic
devices.

TIMELINE:
• Week 1-4: Research and identify poetic devices.
• Week 5-7: Analyze poetry and identify devices.
• Week 7-8: Reflect, revise and present.
• https://www.successcds.net
• https://www.scribd.com
• https://www.edurev.in
• https://www.litcharts.com
• English Tutorials by Poonam
• Your English Coach
1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

2. CERTIFICATE

3. OBJECTIVE

4. ACTION PLAN

5. INTRODUCTION – POETIC DEVICES

6. TYPES OF POETIC DEVICES

7. USAGE OF POETIC DEVICES

8. STUDENT’S REFLECTION

9. BIBLIOGRAPHY