Some Common Literary Devices
and How They Might Contribute Meaning to a Poem
allusion: a reference to another work, especially the Bible or mythology
How might an allusion contribute meaning to a poem? An allusion in a poem can evoke feelings or ideas
associated with the ideas or feelings in the original work. For example, when Iago swears to the Roman god
Janus in Shakespeare’s Othello, the audience immediately thinks of a two-faced character, as Janus literally has
two faces on one head. We then apply that idea to Iago’s character, who is about as two-faced as they come.
anti-thesis: two contrasting statements, presented closely together
How might anti-thesis contribute meaning to a poem? “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
That is the classic example of anti-thesis. Anti-thesis is used to show starkly contrasting ideas.
hyperbole: an exaggeration
How might hyperbole contribute meaning to a poem? Hyperbole can reinforce a point. Think “Yao Ming is ten
feet tall.” That’s hyperbole. He’s not really ten feet tall, but you are reinforcing the fact that he is very tall.
metaphor: a symbol; a comparison without using like or as
How might metaphor contribute meaning to a poem? Poems use metaphors (symbols) heavily, so really be on
the lookout for these. Because a poem is a condensed form of language, look for symbols to represent a larger
meaning beyond the literal.
personification: lending human traits to non human things
How might personification contribute meaning to a poem? A lot of times, abstract ideas like “truth” and “love”
are personified. This gives these ideas life, in a way they don’t have without human-like traits.
simile: a comparison between two unlike things, using like or as
How might simile contribute meaning to a poem? The key to similes is that it should be a comparison between
two unlike things. You can’t really call a comparison between Mr. Brophy and Mr. Ambrose a simile, because
they have a lot of things in common: they are both male, teachers, great dressers, really cool guys, your favorite
teachers, etc. So instead look for comparisons between things that don’t have so many things in common,
because similes reinforce the significance of the one shared trait. (For example, if you said “Mr. Brophy is like
a rock,” you would be focusing on his steadfast reliability.)
understatement: the anti-exaggeration
How might understatement contribute meaning to a poem? Similar to hyperbole, it reinforces a point.
HUMANITIES, 10TH GRADE STANDARD
BROPHY & AMBROSE
Unlocking a Poem
A Step-by-Step Guide
1. Access your prior knowledge. Ask yourself, what do I know about when and where this poem was
written? What do I know about what was going on in the world in that time and place? What do I know
about the life of the poet? What kind of background information has been provided by Mr. Ambrose or Mr.
Brophy, or what have I learned about in my reading?
2. Read the poem to get a general impression. What is the poem about? If you had to restate the poem in
simple language, what would you say? (If someone says to you, “Dude, what was that poem about that we
had to read for Brophy and Ambrose’s class?” how would you answer the question?) If you get stuck, look
at the images of the poem for clues.
3. Identify the speaker of the poem. Ask yourself, who is stating this main idea or message? This can be
tricky, because most people want to assume the speaker of a poem is simply the poet (and often times it is),
but this isn’t always the case. A lot of times, poets create a character to speak these lines, but never really
identify the character by name in the poem. A speaker can be someone particular (i.e. Mary Shelley) or
someone general (i.e. a soldier in WWI). Be as particular as possible when identifying the speaker.
Identify the audience of the poem. Who is the speaker talking to? Is it a general, broad audience, or a
single person?
Identify the occasion of the poem. This is when and where the poem takes place. Looking at prior
knowledge might be helpful in figuring this out.
4. Reread the poem, this time looking for clues about the poem’s theme. These clues obviously might
include some of the same ideas you identified previously. A theme in literature is really the poet’s “main
idea” or “message.” Figure out the main idea or message of the poem. You are almost done!
5. Examine the structure of the poem. Many poems have a particular structure that will give you clues about
the meaning of the poem. This can help you to figure out a complicated poem. For example, a poem
written in the sonnet form will generally be about romantic love. Be particularly aware of when poets start
new lines and new stanzas; because these are deliberate decisions, there are oftentimes clues here about the
meaning of the poem.
6. Ask yourself how literary devices might contribute meaning to the poem. Review the devices on the
back side of this sheet. Think about not only identifying the literary devices, but explaining how the poet
uses them to add meaning to the poem.
7. Now that you’ve unlocked the poem for yourself, unlock it for someone else. By teaching the poem to
someone else, you truly demonstrate your understanding!
HUMANITIES, 10TH GRADE STANDARD
BROPHY & AMBROSE