POETIC DEVICES

DUST OF SNOW
Theme of the Poem ‘Dust of Snow’.
‘Dust of Snow’ is a small poem written by the famous American poet, Robert Frost (1874 –
1963). The poem is set on a wintry day. In the first stanza, the poet describes a simple natural
happening. The snow is falling heavily. The snowy flakes have covered the top of the trees.
The poet is standing under a hemlock tree. The movement and alighting of a crow on that
tree, make the dust of snowfall on the poet. The crow, a symbol of ill omen and the hemlock
tree, associated with person, are not auspicious things. However, in the second stanza, the
falling of snowy flakes and the scene leave a tremendous effect on the mental state and mood
of the poet. So far, the day has been quite gloomy and a wastage for him. But this ordinary
natural happening suddenly brings a desired change in his mood. It gladdens his heart. He
realises that the falling of snowy flakes on him, has saved the day. Now he has no regret as
the whole of the day has not gone waste. The moments of the snowfall, and their effect have
saved the day. They have brought a change in his mood and gladdened and uplifted his
spirits
Poetic Devices
Rhyme Scheme: abab
Imagery: Frost uses simple imagery like a crow scattering snow from hemlock tree, and ‘dust
of snow’ falling on the poet to depict the positive effect of nature on the poet.
Alliteration: Alliteration is the occurrence of the same sound that is used in the beginning of
the closely placed words.
• Has given my heart
• And saved some part
Symbolism: Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas by giving them symbolic
meaning that is different from their literal meaning.
The ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock tree’. The poet has used these as a symbol to show the emotions
like dejection, gloom and depression. Also, he has used these as symbols to show that these
‘inauspicious’ things of nature can also change a person’s mood and mind.
The poet is having a bad day and he is clear about that. However, to make us understand the
severity of his sullen mood, he introduces us to the symbol of the hemlock tree. Hence, the
hemlock tree, from which the poison is said to be made, is a symbol of death. The next
symbol that the poet introduces to us is that of the crow. The crow is an ambiguous symbol
and could stand for many things. Generally, the crow is considered to be the ugliest among
all birds. Hence, it could be another sight to degrade the poet’s mood once again.
Inversion: When the structure of a sentence is changed by the poet to create rhyme, the
poetic license is called inversion. In stanza 1, the poetic device ‘inversion’ is used.
Enjambment: In enjambment, the same sentence continues to the next line without the use of
any punctuation marks.
This poem is very good example of this poetic device. It has been used throughout the poem.
The lines oof stanzas flow to next line without any punctuations.
Metaphor: This poetic device is used when a covert comparison is made between two
different things or ideas. In this poem, the poet uses the device of metaphor in the 3rd line of
the 1st stanza, when he compares the mass of snowflakes atop the hemlock tree with dust.
Synecdoche: This poetic device is used in many ways to represent one thing with the help of
an entirely different one. In this poem, the poet uses this device to represent the whole in the
1st line of the 2nd stanza. He says that his “heart” has undergone a change of mood because
the crow has made the snowflakes from the hemlock tree rain down on him. However, he is
now experiencing a better mood as a result of the actions of the crow.

FIRE AND ICE

Rhyme scheme — stanza 1 is abaa while for stanza 2 it is ababa.
Symbolism – Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify some ideas by giving them
symbolic meaning different from their literal meaning.
Fire – symbolizes desire with human emotions like lust, fury, cruelty, greed etc..
Ice – symbolizes the hatred with cold feelings of humans such as rigidity, jealousy,
indifference, intolerance etc..
Imagery —Imagery is the visualisation of the poetic description through our sensory organs.
Here, the reader would visualise the destruction through fire or ice. The imagery formed
would depend on how we perceive and imagine in the context being portrayed in the poem.
It makes a poem picturesque as images are formed in the minds of the reader.
Personification —Personification is to assig human qualities to non-living things. In this
poem, ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ are capable to destroy the earth.
Anaphora — Anaphora is the repetition of a word or expression at the start of two or more
consecutive lines.
For example:
‘Some say’’ is repeated at the start of the lines 1 and 2.
Alliteration —Alliteration is repetition of the same sound used at the beginning of the nearly
placed words.
Example: The sound of ‘s’ in some say, ‘f’ in ‘‘Favour fire’’, and ‘w’ in ‘‘world will’’.
Assonance – Assonance is the repetition of same vowel sounds in different words in the
same line.
e.g., ‘‘I hold with those who favour fire.’’ In this line, the long sound of ‘O’ is used.
Enjambment—It is a line or clause that does not come to an end at a line break, rather it
moves over to the next line. This device has been used prominently in the poem.
For Example:
‘‘From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire’’
Metaphor – It is a literary device that is used to make a covert comparison without using the
words ’like ‘or ’as ‘.
Here, the poet has used the terms ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ as metaphors for the human emotions
related to desire and hatred.
Antithesis – Fire is the antithesis of ice. Two contrasting and directly opposite destructive
forces have been the hallmark of this poem; Fire and Ice’.

HOW TO TELL WILD ANIMALS

Rhyme Scheme
The rhyme scheme of the poem is ‘ababcc’.
Tone
The poet narrates the poem in a humorous tone.
• Her descriptions of how animals like tiger, lion and leopard kill are intended to make
us laugh.
• Her statement about a bear hug is also an example of humorous tone employed in the
poem.
• Imagery
• The use of descriptive language by a poet or an author that helps the reader to
visualise the pictures in one’s mind.
example: The image of the Bengal tiger is created when we read the lines ‘A noble beast
greets you, with black stripes with a yellow background.
Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory or opposite terms to create a
new phrase that expresses a paradoxical idea.
The oxymoron is used in “noble wild beast”. The word “noble” implies a sense of honour,
dignity, and grace, while “wild beast” suggests an untamed, savage animal. These two terms
are contradictory and create a paradoxical expression, making it an oxymoron.
The same can be found in the phrase ‘true Chameleon‘ .
Metaphor
This poetic device is used when a covert comparison is made between two different things or
ideas.
• In the poem, the metaphors have been used in an ironical way.
• roar with pain – the painful voice compared ironically with the roar of a leopard.
• A noble wild beast – Ironically leopard is shown here as a noble one
• the term ‘caress’ is used ironically for a bear’s claw attack.
Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound that is used in the beginning of the closely
placed words.
• The phrases ‘lep and lep again’, ‘roaming round’, ‘very, very hard’ and ‘novice might
nonplus’ are examples of alliteration in the poem.
• Repetition:
• Repetition is a poetic device that is used to repeat single words, phrases or even
stanzas at intervals.
• He’ll only lep and lep again.
• Who hugs you very, very hard
Personification
• This poetic device is used to bestow human qualities on something that is not human.
• The poet refers to the tiger not as ‘it’ but as ‘he’.
• In the poem, the ‘hyena’ and ‘crocodile’ have been personified.
• The human qualities of ‘smiling’ and ‘weeping’ have been given to the hyena and
crocodile respectively.
Irony
Irony is a poetic device that is used by the poets to bring humour or satire on somebody or
something. It is done by giving two meanings to a word or a phrase, i.e., surface meaning
and underlying meaning.
• A noble wild beast greets you.
• He’ll give you just one more caress.
Poetic Licence
• With the use of poetic licence, the poet not only maintains the rhyme scheme but also
creates a humorous effect in the poem.
• The poet has employed poetic licence in her use of language in the poem. In some
stanzas, she has shortened words like ‘lept’, ‘lep’, and ‘dyin’.
• Also, certain sentences are framed differently in the poem like ‘novice might nonplus’
and ‘if strolling forth, a beast you view’.

A TIGER IN THE ZOO

About the Poem: A tiger in the Zoo’
This poem contrasts a tiger in the zoo with the tiger in its natural habitat. The poem
moves from the zoo to the jungle, and back again to the zoo. The poet gives out a
strong message that the wild animals should remain in their natural habitat and not
caged in zoos and cells. The natural freedom should not be snatched from the wild
animals. Captivity is the worst kind of punishment given to animals living in their
natural habitat and environment. The poem effectively takes out the idea and necessity
of ‘freedom’ and how valuable it is.
• There are two different rhyme schemes in the poem. They are abcb and abcd.
• The rhyme scheme for first, second and fifth stanza is abcb and for third and fifth
stanza is abcd.
Imagery
The imagery is conveyed through
• ‘vivid stripes’, ‘lurking in the shadow’, sliding through long grass’, ‘snarling around
houses’, terrorising the village’, ‘stalking the length of his cage’, ignoring visitors’,
‘stars with his brilliant eyes’, ‘at the brilliant stars’
• Symbolism
• Norris symbolises the words ‘cage’ and ‘sky’.
• ‘Cage’ symbolises the captivity of the tiger by humans.
• ‘Sky’, on the other hand, symbolises the freedom that the caged tiger longs for.
• By symbolising ‘cage’ and ‘sky’, Norris shows the helplessness of the tiger.
Oxymoron – The use of two consecutive words that have contradictory meanings.
The poet uses the phrase ‘quiet rage’, in which the words ‘quiet’ and ‘rage’ have
contrasting meaning making it mean ‘silent anger’ or ‘suppressed anger’.
This contrasting phrase is used to convey that though the tiger is quiet in the cage, it is
full of rage.
Personification
The tiger is referred to with the use of the pronoun ‘he’, implying that he can feel like
humans do, that is, feeling helpless at being imprisoned and wanting to be free.
Therefore, the tiger has been personified, that is, has been given human-like qualities
in this poem.
 Alliteration – Repetition of initial consonant sounds in the same line Alliteration has
been used in phrases
• ‘should be lurking in shadow’
• ‘plump deer pass’, ‘in a concrete cell’
By highlighting soft sounds like ‘s’, ‘p’ and ‘c’, Norris draws the readers’ attention
towards the tiger’s condition – what it is and what it should be

Metaphor – Metaphor is a literary device used to make a comparison without using the
words ‘like’ or ‘as’.
‘On pads of velvet quiet’ – this phrase compares the paws of the tiger to velvet
because of the quality of softness of velvet
Repetition – Repetition of words/phrases in the same line.
• The words ‘stalk’, ‘quiet’ and ‘brilliant’ are repeated throughout the poem.
• The word ‘stalk’ and ‘quiet’ refer to the strength of the tiger and how it has been
trapped inside the cage.
• The word ‘brilliant’, on the other hand, refers to both the sky and the tiger’s eyes. It
represents the tiger’s yearning to be free.
Enjambment – Sentence is continuing to next line without any punctuation mark
Stanza 2 – the second and the third line
Metonymy – This poetic device consists of the substitution of the name of an attribute
or adjunct for that of the thing meant.
• In this poem, the poet uses the device of metonymy in the 2nd line of the 4th stanza.
He uses the word ‘strength’ to mean the body of the tiger, where the entire strength of
this majestic creature resides and which is locked up within a cage in the zoo.
Consonance – Use of ‘s’ sound (stalks, his, stripes)
Assonance – Use of vowel sound ‘I’ (in his vivid stripes).

AMANDA
The poem Amanda is about a young girl and her dreams and fancies of freedom on
one hand and the reality in the form of her mother’s obstructions and instructions and
dictates on what to do and what not to do on the other hand. We may conclude that the
young girl here symbolises all the young girls who are growing up with their worlds of
fantasies and freedom but are constantly nagged by their mothers on their behaviours
and ways of living a routine life.
The poem beautifully gives a picturesque portray of the world of fantasies of a girl
Amanda and the constant real strikes on the girl from her mother demanding
corrections in her behaviour. The poem ultimately attaches us with the girl with
emotionally whereas the mother seems to be on the wrong path of not understanding
her daughter and dictating her behavioural rules.
 The poem keeps alternating between the voices of the controlling adult and the
daydreaming of freedom seeking Amanda. This technique further highlights the
conflicting themes of control and freedom in the poem.
The rhyme scheme of the poem – aaba, ccc, aaba.
• Amanda is a young girl who drifts in and out of daydreams throughout the poem.
• Imaginative: Amanda dreams of being three different figures at different points in the
poem. First, she dreams of being a mythical mermaid, then an orphan, and lastly, a
fairy-tale princess named Rapunzel. These daydreams indicate that she has a rich
imagination.
• Desires Peace and Freedom: Amanda’s daydreams symbolise her desire for freedom.
The words ‘silence is golden’ and ‘freedom is sweet’ further emphasise Amanda’s
desire to be free and lead a peaceful life.
• Craves Solitude: As a mermaid, Amanda dreams of being the ‘sole inhabitant’ of the
sea. Similarly, as Rapunzel she dreams of living alone in her tower. These daydreams
indicate that Amanda craves solitude and wants to be left alone.
• Rebellious: One of Amanda’s daydreams involves her being an orphan. By
unconsciously wishing her parents dead in this manner, Amanda may be rebelling
against their extreme control.

The Speaker (Mother)

The unidentified adult speaker in the poem is presumably one of Amanda’s parents.
Controlling: A few examples of the adult’s controlling nature are when they tell
Amanda not to bite her nails, hunch her shoulders, and dictate what she eats.
Repetition

The name ‘Amanda’ is repeated in the poem to emphasise the restrictions imposed on
Amanda by the adult speaker.
Other repeated words by the adult speaker are ‘don’t’, ‘stop’ and ‘did’ which further
emphasise the theme of control.
Allusion
• An allusion is an indirect reference to a person, place, thing, and idea. In the poem,
Amanda briefly refers to becoming a ‘mermaid’ and ‘Rapunzel’.
• A mermaid is a sea creature who is half-woman and half-fish and lives in the sea.
• Rapunzel is a character from a fairy-tale.
• Amanda, in the poem, alludes to these figures to stress on her desire to escape from
her parents and live a life of freedom.
Alliteration
The poem contains alliterative words to enhance the rhyme of the poem. In the poem,
‘Stop that slouching and sit up straight’ and ‘stop that sulking’ are examples of
alliteration.
 Metaphor
The phrases ‘silence is golden’ and ‘freedom is sweet’ are examples of metaphor.
Klein draws an indirect comparison between different things here.
In ‘silence is golden’, silence is said to be as precious as gold.
In ‘freedom is sweet’, freedom is said to be like a sweet-tasting fruit.
Anaphora
• Anaphora is a literary device wherein certain words are used at the beginning of
successive lines.
• The words ‘don’t bite’ ‘don’t hunch’, ‘did you finish’ and ‘did you tidy’ are examples
of anaphora in the poem.
• They further emphasise the nagging and controlling nature of the adult speaker.
Transferred Epithet
The phrase ‘hushed, bared feet’ is an example of transferred epithet in the poem.
In the phrase, Amanda’s feet aren’t ‘hushed’ or silent. Rather, the phrase describes the
silent way in which Amanda would make dust patterns with her feet as a street orphan.

BALL POEM
There is no rhyme scheme since the poem has been written in
free verse.
Symbolism
• Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify the ideas by giving them symbolic
meaning that are different from their literal meaning.
• The term ‘ball’ is used as a symbol for the boy’s past childhood days that are now
gone.
• The loss of the ball is symbolic of the loss of the boy’s innocence.
• It is also symbolic of the boy gaining knowledge on how to experience loss and
survive.
• It is also symbolic of the boy becoming a man (gaining mature thinking) after losing
innocence of a childhood.
Metaphor
• This poetic device is used when a covert comparison is made between two different
things or ideas. In this poem, the poet uses the device of metaphor in the 8th line when
he compares the boy’s young days or his childhood with the lost ball.
• The line ‘All his young days into the harbour where His ball went’ is an example of
metaphor.
• The poet uses this metaphor to draw a comparison between the lost ball and the loss of
the boy’s childhood.
Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound that is used in the beginning of the
closely placed words.
 In the poem, the phrases ‘what, what’ and ‘buys a ball back’ are examples of
alliteration.
The poet stresses on the repetition of certain sounds in words to enhance the flow of
the poem.
Repetition
• Berryman repeats the word ‘ball’ at various points of the poem.
• He uses the word on surface to describe the loss of the ball. He also uses it as a symbol
for the loss of childhood innocence.
• The phrase ‘how to stand up’ is repeated to explain the importance of overcoming
grief in the poem.
• ‘What’ is repeated.
Enjambment
• Enjambment describes a clause or a sentence that continues from one line to the next
without a pause and without punctuation. By using enjambment, the poet can compose
a sentence that runs on for several lines or even straddles the entire poem before
reaching a full stop.
• The 2nd and the 3rd line of the first stanza
• 1st to 3rd line of the second stanza
• almost the entire third and fourth stanza
Apostrophe
• This poetic device is used when the poet addresses his poem to an absent audience.
• In this poem, the poet uses the device of an apostrophe in the 13th line as he directly
speaks to the little boy and tells him that balls are always liable to get lost, but we
never see the boy responding to him.
• The poet uses the literary device of ‘apostrophe’ to address the little boy.
• Although he is talking to the boy, the boy is away from him, and does not respond to him.
Transferred Epithet
• This poetic device is used when an emotion is attributed to a non-living thing after
being displaced from a person.
• In this poem, the poet uses the device of transferred epithet in the 15th line, when he
writes the phrase ‘desperate eyes’. It is not that the eyes of the boy are sad, but that the
boy itself is sad and that his eyes are expressing that emotion on his face.
• The phrase ‘desperate eyes’ is an example of transferred epithet. It tells us that the boy
himself is sad, and not merely his eyes.
• The poet uses this figure of speech to convey how the emotions on the little boy’s face
are reflected in his eyes.
Anaphora
Use of two words in two or more lines (what is the boy what, what)
Imagery
When poet says, ‘merrily bouncing down the street.’
Assonance
Use of vowel sound ‘e’ (He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes.)