Poetic Devices-4

POETIC DEVICES
Poem 1 – Dust of Snow

Alliteration- 1. Has given my heart
2. And saved some part
2. Assonance – the prominence of a vowel sound throughout a
line is called assonance.– “Shook down on me” – ‘o’ sound is
prominent.
3. Enjambment – when the same sentence continues to the
next line without the use of any punctuation marks, it is called
enjambment. It has been used throughout the poem.
4. Inversion – when the structure of a sentence is changed by
the poet to create rhyme, this poetic license is called inversion.
In stanza 1, inversion can be seen.
5. Metaphor – compares the mass of snowflakes atop the
hemlock tree with dust. (3rd line of 1st stanza)
6. Synecdoche – This is used in many ways to represent one
thing with the help of an entirely different one. The poet uses
this device to represent the whole in the 1st line of 2nd stanza.
He says his heart has undergone a change of mood because of
crow who made the snow flakes fall from hemlock tree.
Poem 2 – Fire and Ice
1. Alliteration-- The sound of “f” in “favour fire”, “w” in “world

will”
2. Anaphora- the repetition of a word or expression at the start
of two or more consecutive lines.
Example – “Some say” is repeated at the start of lines 1 and 2.
3. Assonance- it is repetition of vowel sounds in same line.
sound of “o” in “I hold with those who favour fire”
4. Imagery- Imagery is used to make readers perceive things
involving their five senses. “Some say the world will end in fire”
“To say that for destruction ice Is also great”
5. Enjambment- it is defined as the thought or clause that
does not come to an end at a line break, rather it moves over to
the next line.
6. Personification- Personification is to give human qualities to
inanimate objects. Thus, the poet personifies fire and ice by
giving them mind and power to destroy anything.
7. Antithesis – Fire is the antithesis of ice. Two contrasting and
directly opposite destructive forces have been the hallmark of
this poem.
Poem 3 – A Tiger in the Zoo
1. Alliteration: (behind bars) (he hears) (plump pass)
2. Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ (he, locked, concrete, cell)
use of vowel sound ‘o’ and ‘I’ (should, around, houses), (Baring,
his, white, his)
use of ‘I’ sound (with, his, brilliant)
use of vowel sound ‘I’ (in his vivid stripes)
3. Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (his, fangs, his,
claws)
use of consonant sound ‘s’ (his, strength, bars)
use of ‘s’ sound (stalks, his, stripes)
4. Enjambment: Line three continues to line four without any
punctuation mark. (And stares with his brilliant eyes At the
brilliant stars.) (Sliding through….deer pass)
(He should be snarling around houses At the jungle’s edge,)
5. Imagery: poet tries to create an image about the tiger (He
stalks in his vivid stripes The few steps of his cage)
The poet has tries to create an image of tiger’s activities (lurking
in shadow).
6. Metaphor: Tiger’s paws are compared with velvet (pads of
velvet)
7. Onomatopoeia: using words which denote sound (snarling)
8. Oxymoron: use of adjectives opposite in meaning (quiet rage)
9. Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet
refers him as ‘he’.
10. Repetition – quiet, brilliant
Poem 4 – How to Tell Wild Animals
1. Alliteration: (roaming round) (he has) (when-walking) (who-

hugs) (be-bear) (novice-nonplus) (the-thus) (he hasn’t)
2. Allusion: Reference to a famous thing, place, species of
animal, etc (Bengal Tiger)
Reference to a famous thing, place, species of animal, etc (Asian
Lion)
3. Assonance: use of vowel ‘e’ (meet a creature there)
use of vowel sound ‘o’ (strolling-forth-you, whose-spot, do no
good to roar)
Use of vowel sound ’o’ (or if some time when roaming round)
use of vowel sound ’o’ (you should go, should to you, roars,)
4. Consonance: use of ‘g’ sound (single wing)
use of ‘l’ sound (he’ll only lep lep)
5. Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line
(though to distinguish….might nonplus, The crocodile…..hyena
thus)
Continuation of a sentence to the next line (if you were
walking….creature there)
Continuation of a sentence to the next line (and if
there…..tawny beast)
6. Personification – tiger (he) Hyena and crocodile given the
qualities of weeping and smiling
7. Poetic license: A liberty to the poet to change the spellings
in order to create rhyme or rhythm in a poem (use of lept
instead of leapt)
8. Repetition: use of ‘lep’ word in the last line. Who hugs very
very.
9. Oxymoron – noble wild beast, true chameleon
10. Irony – A noble wild beast greets you
Poem 5 – The Ball Poem
1. Alliteration: (buys a ball back)
2. Anaphora: use of repeated words in two or more lines (What
is the boy… what, what and merrily bouncing… merrily over)
3. Assonance: repeated use of vowel ‘o’ (boy, now, who, lost)
use of vowel sound ‘e’ (He is learning, well behind his desperate
eyes)
4. Apostrophe: this is used when the poet addresses his poem
to an absent audience. (‘little boy” is apostrophe, although he is
talking to the boy but the boy is away and does not respond)
5. Imagery: when poet says merrily bouncing down the street
6. Repetition: ‘what’ is repeated
use of word ‘ball’
‘ball’ word is repeated
Poem 6 – Amanda
1. Alliteration: ‘Stop that slouching and sit up straight’ – ‘s’
‘Stop that sulking’ – ‘
2. Allusion: ‘mermaid’ is a well known imaginary creature
use of famous fairy tale character Rapunzel
3. Anaphora: (don’t bite… don’t hunch)
Repeated use of a word at start of two or more lines (did you
finish….did you tidy)
4. Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (Thought, told, you, your,
shoes)
use of vowel sound ‘o’ (don’t hunch your shoulders)
use of vowel sound ‘e’ and ‘o’ (Will you please look at me when
I’m speaking to you
5. Consonance: use of sound ‘r’ (I am Rapunzel; I have not a
care Bright hair)
6. Imagery: drifting blissfully
7. Metaphor: silence is golden – silence is said to be glorious
like golden colour
freedom is sweet – freedom is said to be sweet in taste.
8. Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’
9. Transferred Epithet – bared feet
Poem 8 – The Trees
1. Alliteration: ‘long letters’ forest from’ ‘sky still’ ‘leaves and
lichen’
2. Anaphora: 2 lines begin with ‘no’
3. Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line
(the forest that was…… trees by morning).
continuation of sentence to the next line (the leaves strain…….
Half dazed)
continuation of sentence to the next line (doors open….the
house)
4. Imagery: “The trees inside are moving out into the forest” –
(the night is fresh…… in the rooms)
5. Personification: Sun bury it’s feet. Sun has been
personified. twigs and boughs have been personified.
6. Simile: The moon is compared to a mirror (Moon is broken
like a mirror)
trees compared to patients (like newly discharged patients)
7. Symbolism – uses of ideas…. Deforestation
Poem 9 – Fog
1. Enjambment: When a sentence continues to next line (It sits
looking….. then moves on)
2. Metaphor: Fog is compared to cat (On little cat feet)
3. Personification: fog has been personified – Fog comes, it sits
Poem 10 – The Tale of Custard the Dragon
1. Alliteration: “coward, and she called him Custard” – “c”
brave as a barrel full of bears “b” sound is repeated
beard was black “b”, he held his “h”
gulped some grog “g”
glee did gyrate “g”
2. Allusion: reference to any person or place (Percival)
3. Anaphora: (And a little ….And a realio)
(And the little grey…And the little yellow)
4. Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (no one mourned for), use
of vowel sound ‘I’ (ink and blink in glee did), use of vowel sound
‘a’ (that ate the pirate)
use of vowel sound ‘a’ (Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of
bears)
5. Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (Suddenly,
suddenly they heard a nasty sound)
6. Imagery: An image is created about the appearance of the
pirate.
They have shown the reaction and actions made by the pirate
on seeing the dragon.
The attack by the dragon is expressed in a way to make an
image in our minds.
7. Onomatopoeia: (giggled, weeck) (Mustard growled, Meowch,
cried ink) (clatter, clank, jangling)
8. Oxymoron: “pet dragon”
9. Personification: Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called
him Percival
10. Poetic license: window is written as ‘winda’
realio, trulio for real, true. The spellings have been changed to
create a musical effect
11. Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a
realio, trulio) Custard cried for a nice safe cage
12. Repetition: stanza has been repeated
help help use of the word ‘little’
Simile: And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard”
(as a barrel full of bears), (Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a
rage)
(snorting like an engine), Clashed his tail like irons in a
dungeon, dragon’s attack on pirate is compared to robin bird
(like a robin at a worm)
15. Transferred epithet: terrified yelp
Poem 11 – For Anne Gregory
1. Alliteration: set such, your yellow, brown or black
2. Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at the beginning of two
lines (That he….That only god)
3. Metaphor: honey-coloured Ramparts at your ear (Anne’s
hair is compared to the ramparts of a fort)
4. Apostrophe – Poet is seen talking to Anne, but don’t see her
in any point of time…use of apostrophe to address Anne.

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POETIC DEVICES

Poem 1 – Dust of Snow

1. Alliteration-- The sound of “f” in “favour fire”, “w” in “world

1. Alliteration: (roaming round) (he has) (when-walking) (who-

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