For example, the ‘s’ sounds mirror a snake’s hiss, which evokes feelings of danger. Poets use alliteration to set a mood, emphasise a subject or create a memorable image.įor example, softer consonants like ‘l’, ‘y’ or ‘h’ creates a romantic atmosphere, whereas harsher sounds like ‘k’, or ‘t’ seems more confronting. Here is an extensive list of poetic techniques you must know!Īlliteration is the repetition of the beginning sound of 2 or more words placed near one another. Matrix provides students with detailed theory books, insightful lessons with expert instructors, and practical feedback to help students improve their marks! Find out more. Here are some techniques that help create meaning: One image, word or phrase is capable of representing a whole abstract idea. Since poems rely on limited words, poets heavily rely on symbolism to effectively convey meaning and their message.

These images shape the atmosphere, foreshadows events and can also have symbolic meaning. This is often achieved through strong visual, olfactory, tactile, auditory and gustatory images. That’s why they need to create a particular atmosphere with the least amount of words possible. Poets often deal with more abstract ideas and themes in a limited amount of words. Here are some techniques that relate to the structure of the poem: These particular structures help the poet create a particular atmosphere. These shapes the audience’s emotions and gives an indication of the poem’s themes and message.Ī poet is able to control the arrangement of the whole poem, the stanzas, lines and even the syllables of each word to create meaning. Poets rely on sounds to create particular atmospheres and tones. That’s why it is essential that poets rely on other elements to create meaning: sound, structure and arrangement, and images (visual, olfactory, tactile, auditory and gustatory). So, let’s see what the different poetic techniques are.Īnalysing poem is different from analysing novels or short stories. They are written with limited words and vague phrases.

However, this will not get you the best possible marks because you are not analysing the form of the text.

Too often, students simply focus on literary techniques when they are analysing poems. Why do I need to know poetic techniques.Do you lack confidence discussing poetic techniques? Don’t worry, we got your back! In this article, we will show you a whole variety of different poetic techniques, explain what they are and provide examples.

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