Poetic devices And Examples

Alliteration The repetition of a beginning sound          Rain reigns roughly through the day.          Raging anger from the sky          Partners prattle of tormented tears          From clouds wondering why          Lightning tears their souls apart.

Allusion A casual reference to someone or something in history or literature that creates a mental picture.             A Common Woman          No Helen of Troy she,          Taking the world by war,          But a woman in plain paper wrapped          With a heart of love untapped,          She waits, yearning for her destiny          Whether it be a he on a charger white          Or one riding behind a garbage truck.

Caesura The pausing or stopping within a line of poetry caused by needed punctuation.          Living, breathing apathy          Saps energy, will, interest,          Leaving no desire to win.          All that’s left are ashes,          Cinders of what might have been.

Enjambment The continuation of thought from one line of poetry to the next without punctuation needed at the end of the previous line(s).        Looking through the eyes          Of wonder, of delight,          Children view their world          With trust, with hope          That only life will change.

Hyperbole Extreme exaggeration for effect.          Giants standing tall as mountains          Towering over midgets          Bring eyes above the common ground          To heights no longer small.

Metaphor The comparison of two unlike things by saying one is the other.        Sunshine, hope aglow,          Streams from heaven’s store          Bringing smiles of warming grace          Which lighten heavy loads.          Clouds are ships in full sail          Racing across the sky-blue sea.          Wind fills the cotton canvas          Pushing them further away from me.

Onomatopoeia The sound a thing makes.          Roaring with the pain          Caused by flashing lightning strikes,          Thunders yells, “Booooom! Craaaashhhh! Yeow!”          Then mumbles, rumbling on its way.

Oxymoron The use of contradictory terms (together).          Freezing heat of hate          Surrounds the heart          Stalling, killing kindness,          Bringing destruction to the start.

Personification The giving of human traits to non-human things incapable of having those traits.        Anger frowns and snarls,          Sending bolts of fire from darkest night          That bring no brilliance,          Rather only added blackness of sight.

Simile The comparison of two unlike things by saying one is like or as the other.          Sunshine, like hope aglow,          Streams from heaven’s sky          Bringing smiles of warming grace          On breeze whispers like a sigh.          Clouds are like ships in full sail          Racing across the sky-blue sea.          Wind fills the cotton canvas          Pushing them further away from me.

Symbol Something which represents something else besides itself.        The dove, with olive branch in beak,          Glides over all the land          Searching for a place to light.          Storms of war linger on every hand,          Everywhere the hawk does fight.

Imagery The use of words to create a mental picture. A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the Milky Way.

Mood The emotional effect of a poem or a story. For the moon never beams Without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

Irony The expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect. Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.