Poetic Devices Analysis Essay Example

Just like the rest of literature, poetry contains different devices that are used to make the words flow together. Most of the time when an author uses a poetic device the purpose is to intensify the mood or stress a theme in their work. Poetry comes in all forms, but the effectiveness of the poetic devices that are used is what changes the meaning and personality of the text. Some common poetic devices that can be found in literature are similes and metaphors, imagery, and personification.

Two very popular poetic devices in poetry are similes and metaphors. Similes happen when the author compares something using “like” or “as” while metaphors are comparing without those words. Both devices are often used as a rhetorical effect with the purpose of comparing one object to another, often with dramatic efforts. Authors commonly use these devices as comparison, but they mainly become contradictory terms that seem preposterous when combined, such as the statement “ as hungry as a horse” since the hunger of a human and horse are nowhere close to being alike in real life. An example of a metaphor is found in “In Perpetual Spring,” “in search of medieval plants whose leaves, when they drop off turn into birds if they fall on land, and colored carp if they plop into water”(Lines 6-12). In this poem the author is describing what the sight of the falling leaves look like and how they either look like a bird because they are soaring in the sky, or a fish because they are in the water. The purpose of this poetic device is to show the readers an approximate interpretation of what the falling leaves actually look like. An example of a simile is in “Spring” by Edna Millay, “It is not enough that yearly, down this hill, April Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers”(Lines 16-18). The author is using this simile to compare the approachment of spring to a being, one that is not aware of what it is doing or what is actually happening.

Another common poetic device that is often used in literature is imagery. Imagery is one of the most important and effective poetic devices that are used because it allows the reader to clearly view and experience the scene that the author is trying to describe. An example of imagery is located in “Spring” by Edna Millay, “Not only under ground are the brains of men Eaten by maggots'' (Lines 11-12). In this quote Millay is using the gore image of deceased, maggot-eaten brain to compare to the lack of intellect of the living. This poetic device forces the readers to actually visualize the scene and it intrudes the connection between the brain-less dead and the ignorant living. Another example of imagery lies within the poem “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner'' by Randall Jarrel, “And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose” (Lines 2-5). The author is trying to create the image of an abortion just by desciring the position of the ball turret gunner. The extremity of vividness of the descriptions that were used to describe the position heavily alluded to an abortion as it put emphasis on the process and position. 

Personification is another popular poetic device used in literature. Personification is the device that gives inanimate objects human characteristics and behaviors. The purpose of this device is to imply a connection between an object and the person reading it, by giving similar characteristics. An example of personification lies within the poem “Out, Out” by Robin Frost, “The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard”(Line 1).The author is giving the inanimate object, the saw, the capability of making such noises as a snarl and rattle. The author could have stated that, “ The saw made saw sounds,” but that would in no way be as effective in allowing the readers to depict the image and sound on their own. Another example of personification lies in the poem “Funeral Blues” by Wynstan Hugh Auden, “Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead

Scribbling on the sky the message 'He is Dead'” (Lines 5-6).  The author is giving the inanimate object, the aeroplane, the capability of experiencing mournfulness and signaling death. The use of this devices assists with setting the tone of the passage as it makes everyday objects seem to be gloomy and depressed. The purpose of personification here is to connect emotion; allowing the readers to actually understand the tone and the environment that the poem is set in. Sometimes personification used in text may seem lucrative, but the purpose of comparing things that the human brain will understand and recall is extremely effective. 

Poetic devices are very useful in poetry as they make poems read more fluently, more interesting, and add details. Some of the most recognizable poetic devices to me are similes and metaphors, imagery, and personification. These devices relate to one another as  they all support visual detail; connecting to the reader's senses, experiences, and emotions to create a better understanding of the text and a mental depiction.