Poetic Devices in Poems - Class 12th CBSE PDF Download

 Page 1


poetic devices in poems 
 
My Mother at Sixty-six (poetic devices/figures of speech) 
By Kamala Das 
Simile – a) her face ashen like that of a corpse  b) As a late winter’s moon Personification - Trees sprinting Metaphor – merry children 
spilling out of their homes Repetition- smile and smile and smile… 
An Elementary school  
Poetic Devices: Like rootless weeds – simile Paper-seeming boy – metaphor ,Rat’s eyes – metaphor ,Like bottle bit -simile 
Shut upon their lives like catacombs – simile Last four lines – visual imagery 
 
Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda (poetic devices/figures of speech) 
The poet has used symbols and comparisons to explain how we can end conflicts, wars and corrosive activities that are leading to the 
death of our civilization. He advocates keeping quiet and still for a while to introspect and understand ourselves and our relationship 
with our brothers and nature to build a peaceful and harmonious world order. 
1.‘Count to twelve’ – symbolizes a measure of time. The clock has twelve markings on it, the year has twelve months and the day has twelve 
hours  
2 Let’s-repetition to create a bond with the reader and stress his point. 
3.‘Fishermen in the cold sea…hurt hands’-symbolic image  showing how man is ruthlessly destroying nature and harming other species in 
cold blood for his selfish need and greed. The ‘hurt hands’ – the sore hands of the salt gatherer would make him realize how he is 
harming himself by his mindless corrosive activities. 
4. …put on clean clothes’- metaphor. The poet says that quiet introspection will make us comprehend the destructive nature of wars. Man 
would shed his blood soiled clothes and don on clean clothes i.e. he would cleanse his soul, heart and mind, purging it of all anger and 
hatred. 
5. Brothers -symbol of mankind 
 
6. In the shade- metaphor- just as shade protects us from the harsh sun, we will protect and shelter each other as brothers, thus live in peace 
and harmony.7.       no truck - euphemism8.       Earth can teach us as when everything… symbol, Just as earth, the greatest creator, in 
its sleeping mode appears to be dead on surface but is actually dormant and carefully preserving the seeds of life, human beings too need 
to keep still and quiet to rejuvenate and awaken the life forces within and be productive. 
 
A Thing of beauty-John Keats (poetic devices/figures of speech) 
Metaphor: bower quiet; sweet dreams; wreathing a flowery band; pall; endless fountain of immortal drink 
Alliteration: noble natures; cooling covert; band to bind 
Imagery: flowery bands, shady boon, daffodils in green world, clear rills, cooling covert, grandeur of dooms, endless fountain of eternal 
drink 
Symbol: simple sheep – refers to mankind as Christ is the shepherd 
Transferred epithet: gloomy days; unhealthy and o’er darkened ways 
 
 
 
 
 
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poetic devices in poems 
 
My Mother at Sixty-six (poetic devices/figures of speech) 
By Kamala Das 
Simile – a) her face ashen like that of a corpse  b) As a late winter’s moon Personification - Trees sprinting Metaphor – merry children 
spilling out of their homes Repetition- smile and smile and smile… 
An Elementary school  
Poetic Devices: Like rootless weeds – simile Paper-seeming boy – metaphor ,Rat’s eyes – metaphor ,Like bottle bit -simile 
Shut upon their lives like catacombs – simile Last four lines – visual imagery 
 
Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda (poetic devices/figures of speech) 
The poet has used symbols and comparisons to explain how we can end conflicts, wars and corrosive activities that are leading to the 
death of our civilization. He advocates keeping quiet and still for a while to introspect and understand ourselves and our relationship 
with our brothers and nature to build a peaceful and harmonious world order. 
1.‘Count to twelve’ – symbolizes a measure of time. The clock has twelve markings on it, the year has twelve months and the day has twelve 
hours  
2 Let’s-repetition to create a bond with the reader and stress his point. 
3.‘Fishermen in the cold sea…hurt hands’-symbolic image  showing how man is ruthlessly destroying nature and harming other species in 
cold blood for his selfish need and greed. The ‘hurt hands’ – the sore hands of the salt gatherer would make him realize how he is 
harming himself by his mindless corrosive activities. 
4. …put on clean clothes’- metaphor. The poet says that quiet introspection will make us comprehend the destructive nature of wars. Man 
would shed his blood soiled clothes and don on clean clothes i.e. he would cleanse his soul, heart and mind, purging it of all anger and 
hatred. 
5. Brothers -symbol of mankind 
 
6. In the shade- metaphor- just as shade protects us from the harsh sun, we will protect and shelter each other as brothers, thus live in peace 
and harmony.7.       no truck - euphemism8.       Earth can teach us as when everything… symbol, Just as earth, the greatest creator, in 
its sleeping mode appears to be dead on surface but is actually dormant and carefully preserving the seeds of life, human beings too need 
to keep still and quiet to rejuvenate and awaken the life forces within and be productive. 
 
A Thing of beauty-John Keats (poetic devices/figures of speech) 
Metaphor: bower quiet; sweet dreams; wreathing a flowery band; pall; endless fountain of immortal drink 
Alliteration: noble natures; cooling covert; band to bind 
Imagery: flowery bands, shady boon, daffodils in green world, clear rills, cooling covert, grandeur of dooms, endless fountain of eternal 
drink 
Symbol: simple sheep – refers to mankind as Christ is the shepherd 
Transferred epithet: gloomy days; unhealthy and o’er darkened ways 
 
 
 
 
 
Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger(poetic devices/figures of speech) 
 By Adrienne Rich 
Alliteration-Finger’s fluttering; prancing proud; chivalric certainty; weight of wedding band 
Visual imagery- Bright topaz denizens; world of green 
Irony: It is ironical that Aunt Jennifer’s creations- the tigers will continue to pace and prance freely, while Aunt herself will remain 
terrified even after death, ringed by the ordeals she was controlled by in her married life.  
 
Symbols: 
Wedding band- symbol of oppression in an unhappy marriage. Its weight refers to the burden of gender expectations. Ringed means 
encircled or trapped, losing individuality and freedom. 
 Aunt Jennifer- a typical victim of male oppression in an unhappy marriage, who suffers loss of individuality, dignity and personal 
freedom silently. She becomes dependent, fearful and frail. 
Tigers- symbolize untamed free spirit. Here they stand in contrast to their creator’s personality. The use of colours implies that Aunt 
Jennifer's tigers and their land are more vital and enjoy a sense of freedom far greater than her. They pace and prance freely, proudly, 
fearless, confident and majestic, fearless of men 
 Yellow (bright topaz) connotes the sun and fierce energy; green reminds one of spring and vitality. 
 
 
Embroidery-  symbol of creative expression. The artwork expresses the Aunt’s suppressed desires and becomes her escape from the 
oppressive reality of her life. 
Aunt (last stanza) –  as opposed to Aunt Jennifer. It shows that she has lost her identity completely, thus lost even her name. 
 
Metaphor: 
 Ringed with ordeals: even death would not free her as the wedding band, a symbol of oppression,, would yet be on her finger. 
 
Terrified fingers: transferred epithet 
 
‘Pace’ and ‘prance’ are action words. The rhyme mimics the movement of the tigers. 
 
  
What Is A Transferred Epithet? 
An epithet is an adjective (or phrase containing an adjective) or adverb which 
modifies (describes) a noun 
We use transferred epithets all the time. Another example could be "I had a terrible 
day." "Terrible" is a transferred epithet, because it wasn't the day that was terrible, 
only the things that happened to me on that day. A more poetic example would be "a 
long and weary road" - long can apply logically to the road, but not weary – so weary 
is a transferred epithet.