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POETIC DEVICES

 Alliteration:

- 

Repetition of the first sounds of words

Example:

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

(Of course, alliteration is not always so concentrated)

 Assonance:

- 

Repetition of internal vowel sounds of words close together in poetry.

Examples: 

I made my way to the lake.

Men sell the wedding bells.

Consonance: 

- 

Repeating the final consonant sounds of words .

Example:

I dropped the lock et in the thick  mud.

Imagery:

 Any FIGURATIVE language (metaphors and similes) or descriptive language that appeals to one of the five

senses is called an image.

- 

Imagery means to use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way

that it appeals to our physical senses.

Examples:

 

It was dark and dim in the forest. – The words “dark” and “dim” are visual images. 

  The children were screaming and shouting in the fields. - “Screaming” and “shouting” appeal to

our sense of hearing or auditory sense.

 

He whiffed the aroma of brewed coffee. –  “whiff” and “aroma” evoke our sense of smell or

olfactory sense.

  The girl ran her hands on a soft satin fabric. – The idea of “soft” in this example appeals to our

sense of touch or tactile sense.  The fresh and juicy orange are very cold and sweet. – “juicy” and “sweet” when associated with

oranges have an effect on our sense of taste or gustatory sense.

 

Imagery needs the aid of figures of speech like simile, metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia

etc. in order to appeal to the bodily senses.

Metaphor:

Metaphor is a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two

things or objects that are poles apart from each other but have some characteristics common between

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them. In other words, a resemblance of two contradictory or different objects is made based on a single

or some common characteristics.

Examples: 

 

My brother was boiling mad. (This implies he was too angry.)

  The assignment was a breeze. (This implies that the assignment was not difficult.)

  It is going to be clear skies from now on. (This implies that clear skies are not a threat and life

is going to be without hardships)  The skies of his future began to darken. (Darkness is a threat; therefore, this implies that the

coming times are going to be hard for him.)

 

Her voice is music to his ears. (This implies that her voice makes him feel happy)

Personification:

Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes

(qualities/characteristics).

The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel they have the ability to act like human

beings. For example, when we say, “The sky weeps” we are giving the sky the ability to cry, which is a

human quality. Thus, we can say that the sky has been personified in the given sentence.

Examples:

 

Look at my car. She is a beauty, isn’t it so? 

  The wind whispered through dry grass.

  The flowers danced in the gentle breeze.

  Time and tide waits for none.

 

The fire swallowed the entire forest.

Simile:

A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things

Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words “like” or “as”. Therefore, it is adirect comparison.

Examples:

  Our soldiers are as brave as lions.

 

Her cheeks are red like a rose.

  He is as funny as a monkey.

  The water well was as dry as a bone.

  He is as cunning as a fox.