Poetic devices in poems

POEM-1

My Mother at Sixty-six (poetic devices/figures of speech)

By Kamala Das

Simile – a) her face ashen like that of a corpse

b) As a late winter’s moon

Personification - Trees sprinting

Metaphor – merry children spilling out of their homes

Repetition- smile and smile and smile…

Figures of speech in the poem

POEM-2

AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM IN A SLUM- BY STEPHEN SPENDER

Figure of speech Example

Simile Like rootless weeds

Metaphor The paper-seeming boy

Metaphor civilized dome riding all cities

Metaphor their future’s painted with a fog

Metaphor A narrow street sealed in with a lead sky

Metaphor lives that slyly turn in their cramped holes

Metaphor On their slag heap

Simile like bottle bits on stones

Simile these windows That shut upon their lives like catacombs

Metaphor History is theirs whose language is the sun

POEM-3

Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda

(Poetic devices/figures of speech)

The poet has used symbols and comparisons to explain how we can end
conflicts, wars and corrosive activities that are leading to the death of our
civilization. He advocates keeping quiet and still for a while to introspect and
understand ourselves and our relationship with our brothers and nature to build
a peaceful and harmonious world order.

1. ‘Count to twelve’ – symbolizes a measure of time. The clock has twelve

markings on it, the year has twelve months and the day has twelve hours
2. Let’s-repetition to create a bond with the reader and stress his point.

3. ‘Fishermen in the cold sea…hurt hands’-symbolic image showing how man

is ruthlessly destroying nature and harming other species in cold blood for his
selfish need and greed. The ‘hurt hands’ – the sore hands of the salt gatherer
would make him realize how he is harming himself by his mindless corrosive
activities.

4. ‘…put on clean clothes’- metaphor. The poet says that quiet introspection
will make us comprehend the destructive nature of wars. Man would shed his
blood soiled clothes and don on clean clothes i.e. he would cleanse his soul,
heart and mind, purging it of all anger and hatred.

5. Brothers – symbol of mankind

6. In the shade- metaphor- just as shade protects us from the harsh sun, we
will protect and shelter each other as brothers, thus live in peace and harmony.

7. No truck - euphemism

8. Earth can teach us as when everything… symbol, Just as earth, the greatest
creator, in its sleeping mode appears to be dead on surface but is actually
dormant and carefully preserving the seeds of life, human beings too need to
keep still and quiet to rejuvenate and awaken the life forces within and be
productive.

A Thing of beauty-John Keats (poetic devices/figures of speech)

Metaphor: bower quiet; sweet dreams; wreathing a flowery band; pall; endless
fountain of immortal drink

Alliteration: noble natures; cooling covert; band to bind

Imagery: flowery bands, shady boon, daffodils in green world, clear rills, cooling
covert, grandeur of dooms, endless fountain of eternal drink

Symbol: simple sheep – refers to mankind as Christ is the shepherd

Transferred epithet: gloomy days; unhealthy and o’er darkened ways

POEM-6

Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger (poetic devices/figures of speech)

By Adrienne Rich

Alliteration-Finger’s fluttering; prancing proud; chivalric certainty; weight of

wedding band

Visual imagery- Bright topaz denizens; world of green

Irony: It is ironical that Aunt Jennifer’s creations- the tigers will continue to pace
and prance freely, while Aunt herself will remain terrified even after death,
ringed by the ordeals she was controlled by in her married life.

Symbols:

Wedding band- symbol of oppression in an unhappy marriage. Its weight refers

to the burden of gender expectations. Ringed means encircled or trapped, losing
individuality and freedom.

Aunt Jennifer- a typical victim of male oppression in an unhappy marriage, who

suffers loss of individuality, dignity and personal freedom silently. She becomes
dependent, fearful and frail.

Tigers- symbolize untamed free spirit. Here they stand in contrast to their
creator’s personality. The use of colours implies that Aunt Jennifer's tigers and
their land are more vital and enjoy a sense of freedom far greater than her.
They pace and prance freely, proudly, fearless, confident and majestic, fearless
of men
 Yellow (bright topaz) connotes the sun and fierce energy; green reminds one of
spring and vitality.

Embroidery- symbol of creative expression. The artwork expresses the Aunt’s

suppressed desires and becomes her escape from the oppressive reality of her
life.

Aunt (last stanza) – as opposed to Aunt Jennifer. It shows that she has lost her
identity completely, thus lost even her name.

Metaphor:

Ringed with ordeals: even death would not free her as the wedding band, a
symbol of oppression,, would yet be on her finger.

Terrified fingers: transferred epithet

‘Pace’ and ‘prance’ are action words. The rhyme mimics the movement of the
tigers.