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Storgy

Poetic Device · Reference

Apostrophe

A move poets keep coming back to.

What does it mean when a poet suddenly turns and speaks directly to something that isn’t there — a deceased person, an abstract idea, the wind? This move is called apostrophe.

Definition

In poetry, apostrophe occurs when the speaker addresses someone or something that is absent, dead, or unable to respond — like a deceased person, a personified force such as Liberty or Death, an inanimate object, or even an emotion like grief or joy. The term comes from the Greek word for "turning away," which perfectly captures the image: the speaker turns away from the audience and directs their words to something else entirely.

Poets employ apostrophe because it conveys emotions in a way that straightforward description cannot. When Keats speaks directly to a Grecian urn, or when Shelley calls upon the west wind, the poem transforms from a mere report of feelings into an active engagement with those sentiments. The reader witnesses the speaker reaching across an impossible distance, making the emotional stakes feel real and urgent. Apostrophe also allows poets to give a voice to things that lack one — like death, time, or a city — and in doing so, brings those abstract concepts to life in a personal way.

You’ll often find apostrophe in elegies, odes, and political poems, as these forms center around intense emotions directed at something the speaker cannot simply converse with. Once you recognize this device, you’ll notice it frequently and begin to appreciate the specific intimacy it creates: a connection aimed at the unreachable.

Annotated examples

From the corpus · I to I.
  1. I.from the corpus

    O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being, Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing

    Why this works

    Shelley begins by addressing the West Wind as if it’s capable of hearing him. Although the wind is just a natural force and not a person, his use of direct address — "thou," "thy," "O" — makes it feel alive. This choice establishes a sense of intimacy and urgency right away. The reader senses the speaker's deep desire to be acknowledged by something immense and indifferent. By using apostrophe, Shelley personifies the wind effortlessly, allowing the direct address to convey this metaphor without needing further explanation.

    from Ode to the West Wind by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Reader’s guide

How to spot apostrophe

Here’s what to keep an eye out for when reading:

  1. Direct address markers. Phrases like "O," "oh," "thou," "you," or a name mentioned at the beginning of a line or stanza indicate that the speaker is turning to address someone or something.
  2. The addressee is absent, deceased, or non-human. If the speaker is conversing with a living person present in the scene, it's dialogue, not apostrophe. The crucial point is that no real response can be expected.
  3. Imperative or interrogative sentences directed at the subject. Commands ("Blow, winds!") and questions ("Death, be not proud — but why?") aimed at an abstraction or absent figure are classic examples of apostrophe.
  4. Personification nearby. Apostrophe often goes hand in hand with personification. If an abstract noun (like Truth, Time, or Grief) is being addressed, it's likely the poet has personified it too.
  5. A shift in tone or intensity. Apostrophe usually marks an emotional high point. When the speaker suddenly turns to address something directly, the emotional temperature of the poem typically increases. Look for that shift as a signal.

Writer’s guide

How to write with apostrophe

Here are three practical moves you can experiment with in your own poetry:

  1. Talk to an abstraction that’s been on your mind. Choose a concept—like envy, silence, or luck—and start a stanza by addressing it directly, as if it just entered the room. Example: "Silence, you have followed me from every house I have ever left."
  1. Engage with someone who has passed away, but do it in the middle of your poem instead of at the start. Allow the poem to unfold through imagery or memories, then make a sharp turn into direct address at a moment of emotional intensity. Example: "And that is when I turned to tell you, Dad, and remembered you were gone."
  1. Speak to an object that has witnessed something significant. Whether it’s a chair, a road, or a window, give it a voice and ask what it observed. The fact that it can’t respond adds depth to the poem’s meaning. Example: "Old kitchen table, you held every argument we ever had and never once took sides."

In each instance, the strength lies in the contrast between the emotional weight of the address and the silence that follows. Focus on that contrast as you write.

Poems that turn on apostrophe

From the public-domain corpus

Adjacent in Rhetorical turns

Open the collection →

Postscript

Frequent definitions