The Bucket List Literary Devices

My song utilizes the poetic devices of simile, rhyming, imagery, and repetition like that of “Mrs. Potato Head” by Melanie Martinez. Unlike the other poetic devices, only one simile can be seen, and that’s in lines 8-9. Rhyming, on the other hand, runs rampant throughout the entire piece, only leaving a few small gaps in between. While not as frequently placed, imagery can be seen in lines 2, 11, 14-15, 16-18, 20-21, and 27. Each one of these lines gives you an insight into the troublesome life of the song’s namesake, Our Guardian Angel, whose unfortunate circumstances are purposefully downplayed like that of Martinez’s character, Mrs. Potato Head. In other words, Our Guardian Angel and Mrs. Potato Head are struggling to endure the ignorance

Poems and songs may have strength in literary terms, but have you ever wondered what makes them powerful? In this essay, there will be analyzed two poems “The Boy Died in my Alley” and “Daddy”, as well as the song “Firework” in which theme, metaphor, and repetition are the literary devices that make them powerful.

In this poem there is a lot of figurative language. One of the biggest types of figurative language used in this poem is irony. The irony in this poem is how the mother wouldn't let her child go to march because she feared her child would get hurt. Instead she sent her child to church because she believed it was a safe and sacred place but ironically the church ended up being bombed. Another piece of figurative language that is very effective in this poem is imagery. The way the poem is written helps me create images in my head for example, "She raced through the streets of Birmingham." I can imagine her running around desperately, looking for her child. The metaphors and hyperboles in this poem also help with the imagery, for example, "...night dark hair," and "…rose-petal sweet." These metaphors make me think of the girls smoothly combed black hair and her fresh and beautiful rosy smell. A hyperbole that had a huge effect on the tone was, "But that smile was the last smile to ever come upon her face." This hyperbole really helps me understand the effect of a tragic moment like this and how it can completely ruin

Kath makes the poem very personal by the use of words like I and we for example, she begins the poem by saying, “Look up, my people”. This makes it feel more tailored for whomever the poem is directed to. The poem also has a rhyming pattern of ‘not rhyme line’, B, B, C. Also, there is intertextual referencing to the ‘Dream Time’.

The use of imagery in this poem creates a vivid image of each description that leaves the reader feeling connected to the author in unprecedented way. Even if you’re not a middle aged woman waiting for her daughter to come from from college, you still understand. This is because the author has used

describing the characters and objects throughout the poem and in creating the atmosphere of the

This paper will define imagery, metaphors, rhyme and structure and will also discuss the importance of figurative language in poetry and how it communicates to the reader.

Readers are aware of this ambiguity. Here the heaviest flashback thoughts and the short-lasting issue set up a continuing contrast throughout the poem, which enchants its effect.

Much of the song has no end line punctuations, and each sentence flows into the next. Along with that we get a sense of imagery from the lines of the poem. The narrator explains what the characters are seeing in way that depicts a certain image in the audience’s minds. I find that though the techniques used are adequate they are not completely effective. Rather, I think that it is the form it takes on that gives it the substance and power it needs.

Poetry has a role in society, not only to serve as part of the aesthetics or of the arts. It also gives us a view of what the society is in the context of when it was written and what the author is trying to express through words. The words as a tool in poetry may seem ordinary when used in ordinary circumstance. Yet, these words can hold more emotion and thought, however brief it was presented.

The song “Ross Capicchioni” by Joyner Lucas can be a prime example of a literary piece because of its plot, multi perspectives, and tone throughout the song. Manipulating words so that it could fit into different rhyming schemes to set a specific tone has added a dramatic and poetic effect on literary writings. A good plot is one of, if not the most critical part of a literary piece because it keeps a reader, viewer or listener interested in the piece. Lastly, the multi perspectives of the piece makes it literary because of the ability to imagine and “bring to life” both points of views are rare in writings, songs and poems.

The second poem is “Home Burial”, by Robert Frost. The poem is about a couple, Amy and her husband, losing their son causing Amy to go through emotional turmoil. Amy is trying to avoid the situation by trying to leave, but her husband is trying to pull her back, so he can figure out what’s wrong with her and as the poem continues the drama increases. The topic of the poem is sadness, which ties into the theme of Amy and her husband’s relationship is on the rock. The theme in this poem is that everyone goes through sadness, but bottling it up doesn’t help the situation. This is due to the death of their son and as the story continues the husband is trying to understand, why Amy is acting the way she is but she receives the message as rude and offensive. Most of the tension is coming from the graveyard, which resigns on their lot that contains their relatives and son. In lines 1-2, it expresses my theme because it has both

“Poems are written with the feelings and emotions, with the intuition and the instincts, that make each of us who we are” (Charters 669). Dana Gioia, the author of “Summer Storm 2000” expresses an emotional works to an event dated back 20 years ago. Gioia uses dictions such as, imagery, figures of speech, setting, tone, and ballad to help readers not only comprehend the poem but to help them envision and feel it as if they were the ones experiencing the story. Gioia uses these means as a way of expressing his feelings and thoughts while explain to readers the deeper meaning of what “Summer Storm” really entails.

In my preparation for this essay I thought that there was going to be very little that I would learn about the elements of poetry. This is not because I am an expert and have nothing new to learn, but rather the opposite. I have never really spent the time to break down and appreciate poetry. One of the reasons I think that I haven’t spent the time on poetry is due to my reading habits. I usually read to gather information and poetry is on the other end of the spectrum. Fredrick Gruber sums this up, “Poetry tends to give general truths while history gives particular facts.” (Gruber) Having said all of this though, I did see a couple of things that I could apply to my own writing. I will first start off with some elements of poetry that I

Poetry allows the writer, the reader and even those listening to get a deeper sense of being. It gives us the opportunity to break free from simple and boring routine. If done correctly a poem will done correctly a poem will be able to stir emotion, and create wonder. In order to this however all the part that make up a poem must be in sync. Its tone, diction, imaginary, rhythm, symbolism and subject matter are all critical areas. A good poem will draw an emotional reaction from its audience, whether those are light and upbeat or darker more serious feelings they will come away with a new experience, changed by what they just experienced. Two such poems that embody what a good poem should be are “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath and “Harlem”, also published as “Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes. These poems elevate the experience for reading, listening and writing poetry, and serve as an excellent reference for a poem should be.