Discussion – Poetic Devices

Discussion – Poetic Devices

Poetic devices are important in poetry because they enhance the meaning of a poem and catch the interest of the audience. The common poetic devices in Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day? and Harlem is imagery. Imagery is evident in Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day? When Shakespeare describes the summer’s day. For instance, the author states, “rough winds do shake the darling buds of May” (Shakespeare,1923) to evoke an image of intense winds that blew during summer’s day. In Harlem, imagery is evident in the statement, “Does it stink like rotten meat?” (Ford,1997). This statement creates an image of something undesirable thus enabling the audience to understand the nature of a deferred dream. The common poetic devices in Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day? And Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night is a rhyme scheme. William Shakespeare uses the ABABCDCDEFGG to create a rhythm in his poem. In contrast, Dylan Thomas uses the ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA rhyme scheme to create rhythm in his poem.

The three poets also choose different poetic devices that stand out to make their work unique. For instance, William Shakespeare uses enjambment to develop a unique structure. This is evident in line 3, “Though yet, heaven knows, it is but as a tomb”(Shakespear,1923) and line 4 “If I could write the beauty of your eyes”(Shakespear,1923) where the poet intentionally fails to put punctuation when transitioning to the next line. Langston Hughes uses onomatopoeia to make his poem stand out. This is evident in the use of words that evoke sensory and sound experience, such as “sags” and “stink.” Dylan Thomas, on the other hand, uses alliteration to create rhythm. For instance, in the statement, “Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,” (Cecil & Tate,1958) the poet repeats the “b” sound to create a musical rhythm and catch the audience’s attention.

References

Cecil, D., & Tate, A. (Eds.). (1958). Modern Verse in English, 1900-1950. Macmillan. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc//GCCO?u=nysl_me_moncol&sid=lms-GCCO&pg=14052364&xid=9595771d

Ford, K. J. (1997). Gender and the Poetics of Excess: Moments of Brocade. University Press of Mississippi. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc//GCCO?u=nysl_me_moncol&sid=lms-GCCO&pg=97411959&xid=9595771d

Shakespeare, W. (1923). E. B. Reed (Ed.), Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Yale University Press. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc//GCCO?u=nysl_me_moncol&sid=lms-GCCO&pg=24554666&xid=9595771d

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Select three poems from the list (in the overview notes) that you enjoyed reading. Refer to the lecture notes and your textbook to identify and discuss the poetic devices the poets use in your selections. Make sure to quote examples.
***Please only use the information provided, NO OUTSIDE resources or references***

Poetic Devices

Resource Links:
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/poetry-101-learn-about-poetry-different-types-of-poems-and-poetic-devices-with-examples#what-is-imagery-in-poetry

The three poems I chose:

William Shakespeare, “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?”

Who will believe my verse in time to come,
If it were filI’d with your most high deserts?
Though yet, heaven knows, it is but as a tomb
Which hides your life and shows not half your parts. 4
If I could write the beauty of your eyes
And in fresh numbers number all your graces,
The age to come would say, ‘This poet lies;
Such heavenly touches ne’er touch’d earthly faces.’ 8
So should my papers, yellow’d with their age,
Be scorn’d, like old men of less truth than tongue,
And your true rights be term’d a poet’s rage
And stretched metre of an antique song: 12
But were some child of yours alive that time,
You should live twice,–in it and in my rime.

18

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: 4
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimm’d; 8
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shah death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st; 12
So long as man can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Reference
Shakespeare, W. (1923). E. B. Reed (Ed.), Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Yale University Press. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc//GCCO?u=nysl_me_moncol&sid=lms-GCCO&pg=24554666&xid=9595771d

Langston Hughes, “Harlem”

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore —
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over —
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

( Collected Poems426)

Reference
Ford, K. J. (1997). Gender and the Poetics of Excess: Moments of Brocade. University Press of Mississippi. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc//GCCO?u=nysl_me_moncol&sid=lms-GCCO&pg=97411959&xid=9595771d

Dylan Thomas, “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Reference
Cecil, D., & Tate, A. (Eds.). (1958). Modern Verse in English, 1900-1950. Macmillan. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc//GCCO?u=nysl_me_moncol&sid=lms-GCCO&pg=14052364&xid=9595771d