Poetic devices are used to enhance the effect of poetry. They consist of Imagery, Symbolism, metaphor, Pun, Satire, Allegory, Paradox, etc. Below are some most used poetic devices;
1. Imagery
Meaning:
Imagery is an example of poetic device that is often used by the poets. It is the idea that is perceived by the reader after reading the poem. The image that is formed in the reader’s mind due to the repetition of a word, feeling, sense, etc is called an image. It becomes the symbol in the poem. Imagery studies the images in a poem.
Example 1.
The poem, ‘A Red, Red Rose’ by Robert Burns has a rose imagery because there is repetition of the word ‘rose’ and it is compare with the poet’s beloved. Therefore, the image of rose gets repeated and rose imagery is formed in the reader’s mind.
Example 2.
In the poem, ‘Dover Beach,’ the poet, Mathew Arnold talks about the beautiful sight of the Dover beach. Here, the image of ‘beautiful sight’ is formed in the reader’s mind. This is the first image.
In the second part of the poem, reader comes across the sad sound of the pebbles on the beach. So, here ‘sound’ image is formed in the reader’s mind.
These two images together form a ‘sight and sound‘ imagery.
2. Symbolism
Meaning:
Poetry uses symbols. Symbol is the representation of something. In any literary work symbolism plays important role to symbolize objects whether they are conventional or personal. Not only poets or writers use symbols but every person in the world uses symbols. There are two types of symbols, Conventional and Personal symbols;
Conventional Symbols:
These type of symbols are widely accepted so theses are also known as traditional symbols. For example, thumbs up stands for ‘okay.’ A cross is the symbol of ‘Christianity’ while a skull with two crossed bones symbolizes ‘danger.’ Colors contribute in symbolism too. White color is the symbol of peace while, grey color symbolizes mournfulness or depression. However, some symbols are popular only in particular region but still they are universally accepted as the symbolic representation of something in that particular region. For example, in Hinduism, wearing a white saree is a sign of being a widow.
Private/ Personal Symbols:
These symbols are not widely accepted. They are created by poets and writers for their own purpose. For example, in the play ‘Macbeth,’ Lady Macbeth washes her hands in sleep in order to get rid of the guilt. Here, her craving to get washed off of guilt is symbolized by her activity of washing hands. This shows that she constantly feels guilty. In the poem, ‘Dover Beach,’ poet symbolizes happy past by the beautiful sight of the beach and the sad reality is symbolized by the sound of pebbles. In same way, poets and writers use different objects to symbolize things. They can regard sunrise as birth and sunset as death. The invention depends totally upon them!
