Lea Sampsell
2A
Analysis of Literary Techniques in Poetry
Any type of literature with metrical form falls into the category of poetry.
Although this seems quite broad at first glance, almost all poems have to fit certain
criteria. They often have a type of rhyme scheme, use of literary devices, and a tone
that compliments the message. “The Light the Dead See” by Frank Stanford, “The
Paradox” by Paul Laurence Dunbar, “The Kiss” by Robert Graves, “Sea Fever” by
John Masefield, and “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry all show examples
of these different literary techniques in poetry.
Most but not all of the listed poems have a rhyme scheme of some kind. Both
“The Light the Dead See” and “The Peace of Wild Things” have no rhyme scheme at
all, but instead the poet chose to write entirely in free verse. “The Paradox” and “Sea
Fever” both have simple and straightforward patterns. “The Paradox” has rhyming
last words of the second and fourth lines in a stanza, meaning it has an ABCB
pattern. For example, one of the stanzas in the poem says “Then thou shalt sing at
my coming, kiss me with passionate breath, clasp me and smile to have thought me
aught save the foeman of Death.” The words “coming” and “me” have no similarities
in sound, but “breath” and “death” rhyme. “Sea Fever” has an AABB rhyming
structure. The last word of each line in a couplet rhymes, then the endings change in
the next couplet. One couplet in the poem says, “And all I ask is a merry yarn from a
laughing fellow-rover, and quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s
over.” “Rover” rhymes with “over,” and this simple rhyme scheme continues
throughout the entirety of the poem. More complexity can sometimes exist in other
rhyme schemes. “The Kiss,” although rhyming, has no specific pattern that remains
consistent. “Are you shaken, are you stirred by a whisper of love, spellbound to a
word” follows an ABA pattern, but “Does Time cease to move, Till her calm grey eye
expands to a sky and the clouds of her hair like storms go by?” displays ABBCB. An
element of smoothness from the irregularities can improve the reading of the poem
despite a bit of difficulty in following the changes.
Numerous literary devices find their use throughout these five poems.
Comparisons, hyperboles, and personification appear most commonly. Types of
comparisons mainly include similes and metaphors. In “The Light the Dead See,” the
poet uses simile to describe the souls of the dead as “like a moth” when hovering by
the ceiling, and a signalman as a lantern. Not so much metaphor exists in this poem
as indirect symbolism, since the poem continues with one idea instead of throwing
in just a few metaphorical comparisons. Similes fill almost an entire stanza in “The
Paradox.” The writer’s compares his hands as “white as the snowdrop,” his fingers
as “swart as the clay,” his frown as “dark as the midnight,” and his brow as “fair as
the day.” However, metaphors make up almost the entire poem. Metaphors form
every line in which the writer compares himself to a bud, a blossom, or a late-falling
leaf. “The Kiss” compares moving hair to storms going by, but a lot of metaphors
exist as well. The poem appears to have a few references to darkness or death,
including lines like, “So back to their birth, fade water, air, earth” and “the deep in-
breath, the breath roaring out.” The kiss referred to in the title likely refers not to a
literal kiss, but to a form of a realization. Comparisons of any kind help to provide
the intended audience with a familiar idea that they can use to understand the new
one. Hyperbole serves as a second literary device in poetry. Although not as
prominent as similes and metaphors, hyperboles get a point across about an event,
feeling, or other item by exaggerating the words. For example, in “The Kiss,” “her
calm grey eye expands to a sky,” serves as a metaphor, but displays hyperbole in
that it speaks of an eye and a sky as having similarities; the sky obviously has a far
larger size than the eye. “The Paradox” speaks of a lonely heart swelling; a lonely
heart will not literally swell, but this certainly does get the point across of pain
resulting from loneliness. Like comparison and hyperbole, personification plays a
role in conveying messages. Application of a human action to an inanimate object
occurs through personification. “Sea Fever” refers to sea gulls crying, and “The
Peace of Wild Things” describes stars as waiting, just to list a few. Basically, literary
devices do little more more than provide basic additions to a poem that keep it
interesting to read and allow authors to express more comprehensible thoughts.
Finally, tone of voice largely contributes to poetry technique. Words, phrases,
and literary devices require appropriate use in order for poets to produce writing
with the capabilities of originally intended reactions. The way in which a reader
understands a poem involves the thoughts that they have while reading, as well as
the accents on certain words, the words with more stress, and the feelings in a voice
that may read, whether out loud or internally. Most poems in this selection have
some type of passionate theme, and a few do become a bit dark. All have intentions
of audience interpretations with some type of dramatic fashion. “The Light the Dead
See” shows dark, solemn, and reflective perspectives, as it deals with the idea of life
after death and possibilities unknown. “The Paradox” uses the words “I am” in front
of nearly every line in order to provide emphasis. “Sea Fever” does this also, using
“And all I ask.” The tone changes throughout “The Paradox,” all the way from
cheerful to bold to weary. “Sea Fever” and “The Peace of Wild Things” show
similarity in tone for their feelings of longing and passion. “The Kiss” mostly
expresses reflective thoughts in general, and the unique rhythmic pattern adds flair
to this.
Rhyme scheme, literary devices, and tone of voice all contribute equally to
effective use of poetry techniques. Poetry requires careful thought and
consideration of the poet, but beauty shows through with the talent of incorporating
these elements in an understandable way. With all of these things in mind, the end
result expresses thoughts and feelings in a way that others can comprehend and
ponder for themselves.