Poetry - Metaphor - Personification - Alliteration

Metaphor:

A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a term is applied to something that is not literally applicable. An example of metaphor is in the poem Question by May Swenson. When she states “body my house, my horse, my hound” that is an example of a metaphor because she is using house, horse, and hound to describe the human body. This effects the entire meaning of the poem because throughout the poem the poet is talking about losing all things.

Personification:

Personification is when a nonhuman thing is given human-like qualities. An example of personification is in the poem Apparently with no surprise by Emily Dickinson because she gives a flower the human quality of having feelings and being happy “ to any happy flower” and the sun as an assassin.

Alliteration:

Alliteration is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of closely connected words. An example of alliteration is in the poem Question by May Swenson when she states “Body my house, my horse, my hound”, all of those words all begin with the letter H and sound similar to each other. This effects the meaning of the poem because it affects how the poem sounds to the reader.

Extended metaphor:

Extended metaphor is a single metaphor that is used throughout the entire poem. An example of extended metaphor is of the poem Hope is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson. In the beginning of the poem she states “Hope is the thing with feathers” and throughout the poem she continues to describe hope as thing with bird like qualities.

Simile:

A simile is the comparison of one thing with a different type of thing. An example of a simile is found in the poem Dream Deferred by Langstone Hughes when he states “like a raisin in the sun?, or fester like a sore”. This effects the meaning of the poem because he talking about a dream that wasn’t pursued and comparing it to a dried up raisin and a sore. It shows how bad an unpursued dream can be.

Hyperbole:

A hyperbole is an extremely exaggerated statement that isn’t meant to be taken literally. An example of a hyperbole is in a red, red rose by Robert Burns when he states “And the rocks melt wi' the sun”, he is saying that his love for his wife will never