Poetic Devices
Browse poetic devices — the figures of speech, sound effects, and rhetorical moves that give poetry its texture.
- AlliterationWhat is alliteration in poetry? It's the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of closely situated words in a line. A fun…
- AllusionWhat is allusion in poetry? It's the question you might ask when a poem mentions a figure or place you partly recognize — like Icarus, Eden,…
- AnaphoraWhat is anaphora in poetry? It's the technique of repeating the same word or phrase at the start of consecutive lines or clauses. That's the…
- ApostropheWhat does it mean when a poet suddenly turns and speaks directly to something that isn’t there — a deceased person, an abstract idea, the wi…
- AssonanceWhat is assonance in poetry? This question often pops up when you notice a line has a musical quality, but you can't quite put your finger o…
- ConsonanceWhat is consonance in poetry? It's when the same consonant sound is repeated in nearby words — often in the middle or at the end of words, n…
- EnjambmentWhat does it mean when a poem's sentence continues past the end of a line? That's called enjambment. The term comes from the French word for…
- HyperboleWhat is hyperbole in poetry? Simply put, it’s an intentional exaggeration — stating that something is much bigger, smaller, older, faster, o…
- ImageryWhat is imagery in poetry? Simply put, imagery refers to language that engages the senses — sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. When a po…
- IronyWhat is irony in poetry? Simply put, irony refers to the difference between what is said and what is meant, or between what we expect and wh…
- MetaphorWhat is a metaphor in poetry? Simply put, a metaphor claims one thing *is* another thing — not that it's *like* another thing, but that it *…
- MetonymyWhat is metonymy in poetry? It's when a poet uses one term to represent something closely related. Unlike symbols or metaphors, metonymy rel…
- OnomatopoeiaWhat is onomatopoeia in poetry? It’s a question that pops up when someone reads a line that seems to *echo* the sound it describes — like a…
- OxymoronWhat is an oxymoron in poetry? It's that question that pops up the moment you read a phrase like "sweet sorrow" and think — wait, can someth…
- ParadoxWhat is a paradox in poetry? It's that intriguing moment when a poem presents something that seems utterly impossible or self-contradictory…
- PersonificationWhat is personification in poetry? It's when a poet gives human qualities—like feelings, actions, voices, and intentions—to something non-hu…
- RepetitionWhat is repetition in poetry? It's just what it sounds like: a poet intentionally repeats a word, phrase, line, or sound. But that straightf…
- RhymeWhat is rhyme in poetry? Simply put, rhyme occurs when two or more words end with the same sound — think "cat" and "hat," "moon" and "June,"…
- SimileWhat is a simile in poetry? This question often arises when a teacher points to a line like "my love is *like* a red, red rose" and asks you…
- SymbolismWhat is symbolism in poetry? Simply put, symbolism occurs when a poet uses a tangible object, person, place, or event to represent something…
- SynecdocheWhat is synecdoche in poetry? It's a question that comes to mind when a poet talks about a ship as "sail" or a soldier as "sword" and you re…