20 Questions
Which poetic device is exemplified in the line 'We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain'?
Metaphor
Which poetic device is represented by the line 'Especially in the middle of the third line, the readers are meant to undergo a shift in their thinking.'?
Irony
In the given text, what literary device is illustrated by the phrase 'Or rather -- He passed Us--'?
Caesura
What type of poetry lacks both rhyme and regular meter?
Free verse
Which poetic device compares 'two words that seem contradictory but actually aren't'?
Oxymoron
What is the purpose of using an allusion in poetry?
To reference another literary work
'Poetry written using a type of template or formula, such as a sonnet' is an example of which poetic device?
Fixed verse
'A reference to a person, place, or thing that represents another person, place, or thing' best describes which poetic device?
Symbol
'Two words that seem contradictory but actually aren't, like 'jumbo shrimp'' is an example of which figure of speech?
Oxymoron
Which literary device uses descriptive language that engages the five senses?
Imagery
In the poem discussed, what literary device is illustrated by the line 'He passed Us--'?
Metaphor
Which poetic device is exemplified in the phrase 'Or rather -- He passed Us--'?
Imagery
What is the term for poetry that lacks both rhyme and a regular meter?
Free verse
Which literary device involves the comparison of two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'?
Metaphor
'Passed away' instead of 'died' is an example of which poetic device?
Euphemism
'We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain' contains an example of which poetic device?
Imagery
'Poetry written with meter but without rhyme' describes which poetic form?
Blank verse
'A work of literature in which characters or animals represent other characters' best defines which poetic device?
Allegory
'Two words that seem contradictory but actually aren't, like 'jumbo shrimp'' is an example of which figure of speech?
Oxymoron
What does an allusion refer to in the context of poetry?
Another book or body of literature referenced in the poem
Study Notes
What are Poetic Devices?
- A poetic device is a special literary tool that shapes words, sounds, and phrases to convey meaning.
- Poetic devices empower speakers and writers to enhance the literal meaning of words by drawing attention to the sound, form, and function of words.
Importance of Poetic Devices
- Poetic devices add to the reader's enjoyment, understanding, and experience of poetry, whether the person is reading silently or aloud.
- Many famous works of poetry in English, as well as in other languages, were originally written as poems or songs so that they could be more easily memorized, passed down, and shared in the oral tradition.
- Examples of famous poetic works include The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer, The Aeneid by Virgil, Beowulf, The Song of Roland, The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, and The Psalms and other books of poetry in the Bible.
Types of Poetic Devices
- Allusion: A reference to one work of literature in another work of literature.
- Anaphora: The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses.
- Antithesis: The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.
- Apostrophe: Directly addressing a nonexistent person or an inanimate object as though it were a living being.
- Assonance: The identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighboring words.
- Chiasmus: A verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first but with the parts reversed.
- Climax: Any use of language that is characterized by a feeling of mounting intensity across three or more successive words, phrases, clauses, or sentences.
Devices That Create Rhythm and Meter
- Iamb: contains one unstressed and one stressed syllable.
- Trochee: contains one stressed and one unstressed syllable.
- Spondee: contains two stressed syllables.
- Anapest: consists of three beats, two unstressed and one stressed.
- Dactyl: consists of three beats, one stressed and two unstressed.
- Amphibrach: consists of one stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable and ending with another stressed syllable.
- Pyrrhic: consists of two unstressed syllables.
Devices That Intensify Mood
- Alliteration: The repetition of an initial consonant sound.
- Assonance: The repetition of internal vowel sounds in words that are near each other.
- Cacophony: The use of nonsense words or certain sounds to create harsh and hard tones.
- Caesura: A noticeable pause within a single line of poetry, designed to amplify an emotion or bring an idea to the audience's attention.
- Consonance: The repetition of the same consonant sound within a group of words.
- Euphony: The use of words and phrases to create a smooth, pleasing and melodious effect.
Devices That Enhance Meaning
- Metaphor: An implied comparison between two unlike things that have something in common.
- Simile: A comparison using "like" or "as" between two unlike things that have certain qualities in common.
- Imagery: The use of descriptive language that engages the five senses.
- Allusion: A reference to another book or body of literature within a poem.
- Symbol: A reference to a person, place or thing that represents another person, place or thing.
- Oxymoron: Two words that seem contradictory but actually aren't.
- Irony: The use of words to say something opposite of what a person actually means.### Figurative Language
- Understatement: a figure of speech that deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is.
Devices That Create Rhythm and Meter
- Iamb: a metrical foot consisting of one unstressed and one stressed syllable.
- Trochee: a metrical foot consisting of one stressed and one unstressed syllable.
- Spondee: a metrical foot consisting of two stressed syllables.
- Anapest: a metrical foot consisting of three beats, two unstressed and one stressed.
- Dactyl: a metrical foot consisting of three beats, one stressed and two unstressed.
- Amphibrach: a metrical foot consisting of one stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable and ending with another stressed syllable.
- Pyrrhic: a metrical foot consisting of two unstressed syllables.
- Trimeter: a line of poetry with three beats per line.
- Tetrameter: a line of poetry with four beats per line.
- Pentameter: a line of poetry with five beats per line.
Poetic Devices That Contribute to Rhythm and Meaning
- Couplet: two lines of poetic verse that form a unit, usually with the same meter and rhyme.
- Internal Rhyme: the use of a rhyme involving a word in the middle of a line and another either at the end of that line or in the middle of the next line.
- Rhyme: the same sound appearing at the end of two or more words.
- Repetition: the use of a word or phrase more than once to emphasize meaning.
Devices That Intensify Mood
- Alliteration: the repetition of an initial consonant sound.
- Assonance: the repetition of internal vowel sounds in words that are near each other.
- Cacophony: the use of nonsense words or certain sounds to create harsh and hard tones.
- Caesura: a noticeable pause within a single line of poetry, designed to amplify an emotion or bring an idea to the audience's attention.
- Consonance: the repetition of the same consonant sound within a group of words.
- Euphony: the use of words and phrases to create a smooth, pleasing, and melodious effect.
- Onomatopoeia: the use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.
Devices That Enhance Meaning
- Metaphor: a comparison of two unlike things without using the words "like" or "as".
- Simile: a comparison of two unlike things using the words "like" or "as".
- Imagery: the use of descriptive language that engages the five senses.
- Allusion: a reference to another book or body of literature within a poem.
- Symbol: a reference to a person, place, or thing that represents another person, place, or thing.
- Oxymoron: two words that seem contradictory but actually aren't.
- Irony: the use of words to say something opposite of what a person actually means.
- Allegory: a work of literature in which characters or animals represent other characters.
- Euphemism: a non-offensive way of expressing something that might otherwise be offensive.
Devices Based on Poetic Form
- Blank verse: poetry written with meter but without rhyme, such as unrhymed iambic pentameter.
- Fixed verse: poetry written using a type of template or formula, such as a sonnet.
- Free verse: poetry written without rhyme or a regular meter.
Test your knowledge on literary devices with a focus on understatement in writing and rhythm in poetry. Learn about how writers use understatement to downplay the seriousness of a situation or character, and explore poetic devices like iambs and trochees that create rhythm and meter in poetry.
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