Poetic devices are a form of literary device used in poetry. A poem is created out of poetic devices composite of: structural, grammatical, rhythmic, metrical, verbal, and visual elements.
Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the long sound of /o/ in “I hold with those who favour fire”.
Allusion–A brief reference to a person, character, historical event, work of art, and Biblical or mythological situation.
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /f/ in “I hold with those who favour fire”.
Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. For example,
“Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice.”
Analogy–Drawing a comparison or inference between two situations to convey the poet’s message more effectively. Example: The plumbing took a maze of turns where even water got lose yond its literal meaning. Symbolism means to imbue objects with a certain meaning that is different from their original meaning or function. It is a representative of other aspects, concepts or traits than those visible in literal translation. Other literary devices, such as metaphor, allegory, and allusion, aid in the development of symbolism.
Cacophony–A discordant series of harsh, unpleasant sounds to convey disorder. This is often enhanced by the combined effect of complex meanings and pronunciation. Example: My stick fingers click with a snicker And, chuckling, they knuckle the keys; Light-footed, my steel feelers flicker And pluck from these keys melodies. —“Player Piano,” John Updike.
Repetition–Repetition often uses word associations to express ideas and emotions in an indirect manner, putting emphasis on a point, confirming an idea, or describing a notion.
Rhyme–Rhyme utilizes repeating patterns to bring out rhythm or musicality in poems. It is a repetition of similar sounds occurring in lines in a poem which gives the poem a symmetric quality.
Oxymoron–A combination of two words that appear to contradict each other.
Imagery: Imagery (mind map) is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “Some say the world will end in fire” and “To say that for destruction ice, is also great”.
Caesura–A metrical pause or break in a verse where one phrase ends and another phrase begins.
Paradox–A statement in which a contradiction may reveal an unexpected truth.
Pun–A play on word in which words with totally different meanings have similar or identical sounds.
Symbolism: Symbolism is a use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities, by giving them symbolic meanings different from their literal meanings. “Fire” is the symbol of desires and “Ice” symbolizes hatred
Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects. In this poem, “Fire” and “Ice” are capable of destruction. Therefore, the poet personifies fire and ice by giving them a mind which is capable of destroying almost anything.
Enjambment: It is defined as a thought or clause that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it moves over the next line. For example, “From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favour fire.” The rhyme scheme followed by the entire poem is ABA ABC BCB