{"id":2183,"date":"2021-08-19T17:00:17","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T17:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=2183"},"modified":"2022-07-25T19:31:56","modified_gmt":"2022-07-25T19:31:56","slug":"poetic-devices","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/chapter\/poetic-devices\/","title":{"raw":"Poetic Devices","rendered":"Poetic Devices"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Objectives<\/h3>\r\nIdentify poetic devices\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nIn addition to structure, there are many devices that are hallmarks of poetry. Other writers sometimes use these devices in their prose, but they are much more common in poetry. There are many poetic devices, but the most common ones are:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Imagery<\/strong> is illustration through language. The poet creates a mental image using words that appeal to the five senses.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Alliteration<\/strong> is the repetition of a sound or letter in multiple words. The repeated sound or letter appears at the beginning of each word, and it is frequently a consonant.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Assonance<\/strong>, on the other hand, is the repetition of vowel sounds in multiple words. These vowel sounds appear within or at the end of each word.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Personification<\/strong> is when a writer describes an inanimate object using anthropomorphic (human-like) terms. The object cannot literally perform or possess these human actions and traits, but personification allows readers to more closely imagine what the writer is describing.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Metaphor<\/strong> is a comparison between two things that are unrelated to one another.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Simile<\/strong> is a metaphor that uses the words \u201clike\u201d or \u201cas.\u201d<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Onomatopoeia<\/strong> is when a word reflects the sound to which it refers. The word \u201cbuzz\u201d mimics the \u201cbzzz\u201d sound of a bee as you say it aloud.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Repetition<\/strong> is the use of the same word many times in a poem or other text. The author emphasizes the importance of the word by repeating it.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nLet\u2019s see these terms in action in the following excerpts:\r\n<blockquote>Then from the moorland, by misty crags,\r\nwith God\u2019s wrath laden, Grendel came.\r\nThe monster was minded of mankind now\r\nsundry to seize in the stately house.\r\nUnder welkin he walked, till the wine-palace there, gold-hall of men, he gladly discerned,\r\nflashing with fretwork.\r\n\r\n-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vonsteuben.org\/ourpages\/humanities\/beowulf.pdf\">Beowulf<\/a> trans. by Frances B. Grummere<\/blockquote>\r\nThis translation of <em>Beowulf<\/em> uses alliteration. The first line repeats \u201cM\u201d sounds, the second repeats \u201cG\u201d sounds, and so on. Try reading it aloud to hear how alliteration contributes to the rhythm of the poem. Stress the syllables that contain the repeated sounds, and you might be able to hear a beat something like the heavy footsteps of the monster, Grendel.\r\n<blockquote>When day comes we ask ourselves,\r\nwhere can we find light in this never-ending shade?\r\nThe loss we carry,\r\na sea we must wade.\r\nWe've braved the belly of the beast,\r\nWe've learned that quiet isn't always peace,\r\nand the norms and notions\r\nof what just is\r\nisn't always just-ice.\r\nAnd yet the dawn is ours\r\nbefore we knew it.\r\nSomehow we do it.\r\n\r\n\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2021\/01\/20\/amanda-gormans-inaugural-poem-the-hill-we-climb-full-text.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hill We Climb<\/a>\u201d by Amanda Gorman<\/blockquote>\r\nGorman\u2019s poem uses assonance. Pay close attention to the vowel sounds, and you will notice that many of them mimix one another. Examples include \u201cnever\u201d and \u201cending\u201d; \u201cshade\u201d and \u201cwade\u201d; \u201cbeast\u201d and \u201cpeace\u201d; and \u201cnorms\u201d and \u201cnotions.\u201d\r\n\r\nAlliteration and assonance can help set a mood depending on which sounds they accentuate. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/bring-science-home-bouba-kiki-effect\/\">Bouba-Kiki effect<\/a> speaks to this possibility in an intriguing way. Studies related to this phenomenon have revealed that people frequently associate certain sounds with types of images and features. Take a look at the two shapes below, and guess which one is named Bouba, and which is named Kiki.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2241\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"wp-image-2241 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5599\/2021\/08\/19202052\/1920px-Booba-Kiki.svg_-300x153.png\" alt=\"A spiky, star-shaped abstract figure on the left and a more rounded, bulbous, flower-shaped figure on the right.\" width=\"300\" height=\"153\" \/> Which one is named Bouba, and which is named Kiki?[\/caption]\r\n\r\nMost often, people associate the shape on the right with the word \u201cBouba,\u201d and the one on the left with \u201cKiki.\u201d It appears that some sounds feel sharp and jagged, while others feel round and smooth. How do you think these associations might impact the mood of an alliterated poem?\r\n<blockquote>I wandered lonely as a cloud\r\nThat floats on high o'er vales and hills,\r\nWhen all at once I saw a crowd,\r\nA host, of golden daffodils;\r\nBeside the lake, beneath the trees,\r\nFluttering and dancing in the breeze.\r\n\r\n-\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.poetryfoundation.org\/poems\/45521\/i-wandered-lonely-as-a-cloud\">I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud<\/a>\u201d by William Wordsworth<\/blockquote>\r\nThe excerpt above uses simile, imagery, and personification. The narrator\u2019s comparison between himself and a cloud in the first line appears as a simile: \u201clonely as a cloud.\u201d The presence of the word \u201cas\u201d assures readers that the phrase is a simile, rather than a metaphor. The imagery appeals to readers\u2019 senses of sight. One can picture the golden color and vast expanse of the daffodils based on Wordsworth\u2019s words. Personification contributes to this image by making the daffodils \u201cdance.\u201d This action carries a happy, carefree type of movement that would not have been present had Wordworth used a verb like \u201cshuddered\u201d or \u201cjerked.\u201d\r\n<blockquote>How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,\r\nIn the icy air of night!\r\nWhile the stars that oversprinkle\r\nAll the heavens, seem to twinkle\r\nWith a crystalline delight;\r\nKeeping time, time, time,\r\nIn a sort of Runic rhyme,\r\nTo the tintinabulation that so musically wells\r\nFrom the bells, bells, bells, bells,\r\nBells, bells, bells\u2014\r\nFrom the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.\r\n\r\n- \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/poets.org\/poem\/bells\">The Bells<\/a>\u201d by Edgar Allen Poe<\/blockquote>\r\nPoe uses plenty of onomatopoeia and repetition in this poem. Words like \u201ctinkle\u201d and \u201cjingling\u201d mimic the sounds a bell might make. Through the words themselves, we hear the bells. The repetition of the words \u201ctime\u201d and \u201cbells\u201d contribute to the rhythm of the poem, perhaps reflecting the repeating sounds of the bells. What else might these poetic devices contribute to \u201cThe Bells\u201d?\r\n\r\nAs we can see, poetic devices are just like the other \u201ctools\u201d we discussed in our last section; poets can use them to alter the aesthetic of their work, but they are not required in order for a text to qualify as a poem. This often means that poets will use different combinations of poetic devices to create beauty, mood, and complex meaning in their writing.\r\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\r\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/d3fa1c08-08b0-40d9-ae0e-c8191d18c28c\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/URuMb15CWJs","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Objectives<\/h3>\n<p>Identify poetic devices<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In addition to structure, there are many devices that are hallmarks of poetry. Other writers sometimes use these devices in their prose, but they are much more common in poetry. There are many poetic devices, but the most common ones are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Imagery<\/strong> is illustration through language. The poet creates a mental image using words that appeal to the five senses.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Alliteration<\/strong> is the repetition of a sound or letter in multiple words. The repeated sound or letter appears at the beginning of each word, and it is frequently a consonant.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Assonance<\/strong>, on the other hand, is the repetition of vowel sounds in multiple words. These vowel sounds appear within or at the end of each word.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Personification<\/strong> is when a writer describes an inanimate object using anthropomorphic (human-like) terms. The object cannot literally perform or possess these human actions and traits, but personification allows readers to more closely imagine what the writer is describing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Metaphor<\/strong> is a comparison between two things that are unrelated to one another.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Simile<\/strong> is a metaphor that uses the words \u201clike\u201d or \u201cas.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Onomatopoeia<\/strong> is when a word reflects the sound to which it refers. The word \u201cbuzz\u201d mimics the \u201cbzzz\u201d sound of a bee as you say it aloud.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Repetition<\/strong> is the use of the same word many times in a poem or other text. The author emphasizes the importance of the word by repeating it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Let\u2019s see these terms in action in the following excerpts:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Then from the moorland, by misty crags,<br \/>\nwith God\u2019s wrath laden, Grendel came.<br \/>\nThe monster was minded of mankind now<br \/>\nsundry to seize in the stately house.<br \/>\nUnder welkin he walked, till the wine-palace there, gold-hall of men, he gladly discerned,<br \/>\nflashing with fretwork.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vonsteuben.org\/ourpages\/humanities\/beowulf.pdf\">Beowulf<\/a> trans. by Frances B. Grummere<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This translation of <em>Beowulf<\/em> uses alliteration. The first line repeats \u201cM\u201d sounds, the second repeats \u201cG\u201d sounds, and so on. Try reading it aloud to hear how alliteration contributes to the rhythm of the poem. Stress the syllables that contain the repeated sounds, and you might be able to hear a beat something like the heavy footsteps of the monster, Grendel.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>When day comes we ask ourselves,<br \/>\nwhere can we find light in this never-ending shade?<br \/>\nThe loss we carry,<br \/>\na sea we must wade.<br \/>\nWe&#8217;ve braved the belly of the beast,<br \/>\nWe&#8217;ve learned that quiet isn&#8217;t always peace,<br \/>\nand the norms and notions<br \/>\nof what just is<br \/>\nisn&#8217;t always just-ice.<br \/>\nAnd yet the dawn is ours<br \/>\nbefore we knew it.<br \/>\nSomehow we do it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2021\/01\/20\/amanda-gormans-inaugural-poem-the-hill-we-climb-full-text.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hill We Climb<\/a>\u201d by Amanda Gorman<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Gorman\u2019s poem uses assonance. Pay close attention to the vowel sounds, and you will notice that many of them mimix one another. Examples include \u201cnever\u201d and \u201cending\u201d; \u201cshade\u201d and \u201cwade\u201d; \u201cbeast\u201d and \u201cpeace\u201d; and \u201cnorms\u201d and \u201cnotions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alliteration and assonance can help set a mood depending on which sounds they accentuate. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/bring-science-home-bouba-kiki-effect\/\">Bouba-Kiki effect<\/a> speaks to this possibility in an intriguing way. Studies related to this phenomenon have revealed that people frequently associate certain sounds with types of images and features. Take a look at the two shapes below, and guess which one is named Bouba, and which is named Kiki.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2241\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2241\" class=\"wp-image-2241 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5599\/2021\/08\/19202052\/1920px-Booba-Kiki.svg_-300x153.png\" alt=\"A spiky, star-shaped abstract figure on the left and a more rounded, bulbous, flower-shaped figure on the right.\" width=\"300\" height=\"153\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-2241\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Which one is named Bouba, and which is named Kiki?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Most often, people associate the shape on the right with the word \u201cBouba,\u201d and the one on the left with \u201cKiki.\u201d It appears that some sounds feel sharp and jagged, while others feel round and smooth. How do you think these associations might impact the mood of an alliterated poem?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I wandered lonely as a cloud<br \/>\nThat floats on high o&#8217;er vales and hills,<br \/>\nWhen all at once I saw a crowd,<br \/>\nA host, of golden daffodils;<br \/>\nBeside the lake, beneath the trees,<br \/>\nFluttering and dancing in the breeze.<\/p>\n<p>-\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.poetryfoundation.org\/poems\/45521\/i-wandered-lonely-as-a-cloud\">I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud<\/a>\u201d by William Wordsworth<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The excerpt above uses simile, imagery, and personification. The narrator\u2019s comparison between himself and a cloud in the first line appears as a simile: \u201clonely as a cloud.\u201d The presence of the word \u201cas\u201d assures readers that the phrase is a simile, rather than a metaphor. The imagery appeals to readers\u2019 senses of sight. One can picture the golden color and vast expanse of the daffodils based on Wordsworth\u2019s words. Personification contributes to this image by making the daffodils \u201cdance.\u201d This action carries a happy, carefree type of movement that would not have been present had Wordworth used a verb like \u201cshuddered\u201d or \u201cjerked.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,<br \/>\nIn the icy air of night!<br \/>\nWhile the stars that oversprinkle<br \/>\nAll the heavens, seem to twinkle<br \/>\nWith a crystalline delight;<br \/>\nKeeping time, time, time,<br \/>\nIn a sort of Runic rhyme,<br \/>\nTo the tintinabulation that so musically wells<br \/>\nFrom the bells, bells, bells, bells,<br \/>\nBells, bells, bells\u2014<br \/>\nFrom the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/poets.org\/poem\/bells\">The Bells<\/a>\u201d by Edgar Allen Poe<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Poe uses plenty of onomatopoeia and repetition in this poem. Words like \u201ctinkle\u201d and \u201cjingling\u201d mimic the sounds a bell might make. Through the words themselves, we hear the bells. The repetition of the words \u201ctime\u201d and \u201cbells\u201d contribute to the rhythm of the poem, perhaps reflecting the repeating sounds of the bells. What else might these poetic devices contribute to \u201cThe Bells\u201d?<\/p>\n<p>As we can see, poetic devices are just like the other \u201ctools\u201d we discussed in our last section; poets can use them to alter the aesthetic of their work, but they are not required in order for a text to qualify as a poem. This often means that poets will use different combinations of poetic devices to create beauty, mood, and complex meaning in their writing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\n<p>\t<iframe id=\"assessment_practice_d3fa1c08-08b0-40d9-ae0e-c8191d18c28c\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/d3fa1c08-08b0-40d9-ae0e-c8191d18c28c?iframe_resize_id=assessment_practice_id_d3fa1c08-08b0-40d9-ae0e-c8191d18c28c\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;width:100%;height:100%;min-height:300px;\"><br \/>\n\t<\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-1\" title=\"The pleasure of poetic pattern - David Silverstein\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/URuMb15CWJs?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-2183\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Bouba\/kiki effect. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Wikipedia. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bouba\/kiki_effect\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bouba\/kiki_effect<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">All rights reserved content<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>The pleasure of poetic pattern. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>:  David Silverstein. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: TED-Ed. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/URuMb15CWJs\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/URuMb15CWJs<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em>All Rights Reserved<\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">Lumen Learning authored content<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Poetic Devices. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":161083,"menu_order":9,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Bouba\/kiki effect\",\"author\":\"Wikipedia\",\"organization\":\"Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bouba\/kiki_effect\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"lumen\",\"description\":\"Poetic Devices\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"copyrighted_video\",\"description\":\"The pleasure of poetic pattern\",\"author\":\" David Silverstein\",\"organization\":\"TED-Ed\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/URuMb15CWJs\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"arr\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"fd48436b-86f8-41ac-b411-51310219f5f2, a4cbcfaf-674e-4d03-85e7-c400a722fbf0","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-2183","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":91,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/2183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/161083"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/2183\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4244,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/2183\/revisions\/4244"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/91"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/2183\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=2183"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=2183"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=2183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}