Poetic Devices in Poetry

Poetry has emotion, imagery, significance, beauty, dignity, rhythm, sometimes rhyme, a different arrangement which can include inversion, and concreteness in its images.

One way to attain the qualities so essential to making words poetic is through the use of poetry devices. We won't begin to cover all the known poetic devices or terms. Rather we'll discuss and use some of the more commonly known and used ones.

Below are the more commonly used poetic devices and terms. Hopefully, with the examples given, everyone can better understand some of the ways to make poetry, well, more poetic. The examples used are my own poetry and are copyrighted in my name.

Poetic Devices in Poetry

Poetry devices (a major sampling):

alliteration: the repetition of a beginning sound.

Rain reigns roughly through the day.

Raging anger from the sky

Partners prattle of tormented tears

From clouds wondering why

Lightning tears their souls apart.

In the first two lines, the r sound is repeated. In the third line p starts two adjoining words.

allusion: a casual reference to someone or something in history or literature that creates a mental picture.

A Common Woman

No Helen of Troy she,

Taking the world by war,

But a woman in plain paper wrapped

With a heart of love untapped,

She waits, yearning for her destiny

Whether it be a he on a charger white

Or one riding behind a garbage truck.

Perhaps instead a room of students

Lurks in the shadows of her life

Needing her interest to be shown.

Yet other concerns may call

No, no Helen of Troy she,

But a woman set the world to tame

Wherever she may be.

Helen of Troy brings to mind a woman so beautiful that two countries went to war over her.

analogy: the comparison of two things by explaining one to show how it is similar to the other.

Day's Journey

The day dawns as a journey.

First one leaves the station on a train,

Rushing past other places

Without a pause or stop,

Watching faces blur through the window,

No time to say goodbye.

On and on the train does speed

Until the line's end one sees,

Another sunset down

Without any lasting memories.

The whole poem creates analogy, the comparison of a day and a train journey.

caesura: the pausing or stopping within a line of poetry caused by needed punctuation.

Living, breathing apathy

Saps energy, will, interest,

Leaving no desire to win.

All that's left are ashes,

Cinders of what might have been.

The punctuation within the lines (in this case, all commas) are the caesura, not the punctuation at the ends of the lines.

enjambement: the continuation of thought from one line of poetry to the next without punctuation needed at the end of the previous line(s).

Looking through the eyes

Of wonder, of delight,

Children view their world

With trust, with hope

That only life will change.

Enjambement is found at the end of lines 1, 3, and 4 because punctuation was not needed in those places.

hyperbole: extreme exaggeration for effect.

Giants standing tall as mountains

Towering over midgets

Bring eyes above the common ground

To heights no longer small.

Arms of tree trunks wrap

In comfort gentle, softness

Unthought of due to size,

Yet welcomed in their strength.

Giants aren't really tall as mountains, nor are arms tree trunks, but the use of the exaggeration helps create the image wanted.

metaphor: the comparison of two unlike things by saying one is the other.

Sunshine, hope aglow,

Streams from heaven's store

Bringing smiles of warming grace

Which lighten heavy loads.

Clouds are ships in full sail

Racing across the sky-blue sea.

Wind fills the cotton canvas

Pushing them further away from me.

In the first stanza, sunshine is compared to hope while in the second, clouds are compared to ships.

metonymy: the substitution of a word for one with which it is closely associated.

Scandals peep from every window,

Hide behind each hedge,

Waiting to pounce on the unwary,

As the White House cringes in dismay.

White House is used in place of the President or the government, and readers understand what is meant without exactly who is being directly addressed.

onomatopoeia: the sound a thing makes

Roaring with the pain

Caused by flashing lightning strikes,

Thunders yells, "Booooom! Craaaashhhh! Yeow!"

Then mumbles, rumbling on its way.

Grrrr, the lion's cry echoes

Through the jungle's den

Causing creatures small

To scurry to their holes.

Roaring, rumbling, cry are not examples of onomatopoeia, but are verb forms. Boooom, craaaashhh, yeow, and grrrrr are examples of onomatapoeia.

oxymoron: the use of contradictory terms (together) for effect.

Freezing heat of hate

Surrounds the heart

Stalling, killing kindness,

Bringing destruction to the start.

Freezing and heat are contradictory, opposites, yet the two together create a mental image.

personification: the giving of human traits to non-human things incapable of having those traits.

Anger frowns and snarls,

Sending bolts of fire from darkest night

That bring no brilliance,

Rather only added blackness of sight.

Frowning and snarling are human traits that anger cannot experience; however using them as traits for anger creates the imagery needed.

simile: the comparison of two unlike things by saying one is like or as the other.

Sunshine, like hope aglow,

Streams from heaven's sky

Bringing smiles of warming grace

On breeze whispers like a sigh.

Clouds are like ships in full sail

Racing across the sky-blue sea.

Wind fills the cotton canvas

Pushing them further away from me.

These two stanzas of poetry and those for metaphor are nearly identical. Both metaphor and simile are comparisons of unlike things, but metaphor states one thing is the other while simile says one is like the other, or as the other.

symbol: something which represents something else besides itself.

The dove, with olive branch in beak,

Glides over all the land

Searching for a place to light.

Storms of war linger on every hand,

Everywhere the hawk does fight.

The dove is a symbol of peace, and the hawk is a symbol of war. Using them in poetry gives an image without having to explain in detail.

Other terms:

elegy: a poem of lament (extreme sorrow, such as caused by death)

free verse: a poem without either a rhyme or a rhythm scheme, although rhyme may be used, just without a pattern.

blank verse: un-rhymed lines of iambic pentameter (ten syllables with all even numbered syllables accented)

imagery: the use of words to create a mental picture

mood: the emotional effect of a poem or a story

Understanding and using these devices and terms can help improve and strengthen poetry. Imagery is essential for vivid poetry, and devices help develop imagery.

Poetic Devices in Poetry
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Vivian Gilbert Zabel taught English, composition, and creative writing for twenty-five years, honing her skills as she studied and taught. She is a author on Writing.Com (http://www.Writing.com/), and her portfolio can be found at http://www.Writing.Com/authors/vzabel. Her books, Hidden Lies and Other Stories and Walking the Earth: Life's Perspectives in Poetry, can be found through Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com.

How To Write A Thank You Letter After An Interview - A Simple Formula for Uniqueness

Sending a thank you letter is as important as interview preparation. But they're tough to write, so people either tell themselves that not sending one doesn't matter, or they procrastinate until it's too late and almost pointless anyway. But anyone who tells themselves that foregoing a fundamental rule of etiquette doesn't matter, not only taints themselves in the mind of the interviewer, but misses two additional opportunities to sell.

A thank you letter is an additional sales piece. As I've said before, you're selling a product and the product is you. So beyond the reason of etiquette, the letter sells you as a polite person who recognizes that the interviewer gave them something valuable: time and consideration.

A fundamental rule of sales is to keep the product in front of the buyer and reinforce its benefits. So beyond the etiquette, the letter gives you ample space to comment on what you liked about the company, why your skills are of benefit to them, and how much you're interested. If something wasn't tied up, or was left unsatisfactorily, you should use the space to further address the issue.

How To Write A Thank You Letter After An Interview - A Simple Formula for Uniqueness

When you miss the opportunity to reinforce your skills and tie them to the job requirements, you miss a chance to sell. When you fail to address a concern or answer a question and leave it to fester in the mind of the interviewer, you've failed to overcome an objection. And if a buyer has an objection to the product, if it isn't addressed, the likelihood of the sale is slim.

The third opportunity missed by skipping the thank you letter is the chance to keep your name in front of the buyer. Read newspapers? Watch TV? See the same ads over and over and over again? It's somewhat the same principle - if you keep your name in front of the hiring authority, they're more likely to remember you.

Thank you letters are one of the reasons it's important to take notes during an interview. Not only does it show good attention to detail, it saves you from having to scrunch your face up trying to remember some of the information you learned about the company and position during the interview. Because if you met with three separate people during one visit to the company, that's three thank you letters....three different thank you letters.

So let's look at how to create one of these so that it becomes a less odious task.
First paragraph Open with the obligatory thank you and include how you enjoyed the meeting. Say why. Maybe the people you met were exceptional. Perhaps their company philosophy was exactly what you had hoped for. Or they need to overhaul a department and you can't wait to sink your teeth into it because that's what you've got a stellar track record of doing. It doesn't matter. Pick something out, and put it down. But make it real. Second paragraph What took place during your interview? Pull out a piece of information that pleased you, say what it was, and tell them why. For instance: I was particularly pleased to find that X company/the opportunity/your management style has/was/is/does whatever. This is exciting because...... . You can expand on whatever it is for a few sentences by elaborating: how it relates to something you've experienced and liked -- or didn't like. Discuss a particular aspect of the job you find appealing and reiterate why you'd be successful at it or how long you've been performing it or how similar it is to something you've done in the past. Third paragraph You can add a similar paragraph if the second was fairly short. Or you can wind it up if it was a bit lengthy. If there was something that came up that needed clarification or about which they were dubious, address it and clear it up here. Fourth paragraph Wind it up. Re-iterate your interest. Be enthusiastic! Leave the job speak behind. If you really want to be hired, let your interest shine through. There's nothing wrong with coming right out and saying, "I'd love to work with X company!"
Caution: Don't start every sentence with "I". It may be the easiest way to write the letter but it's not only repetitive, it's a turn off and egotistical. This process is about you getting a job, but it's about what they get out of it if they hire you.

If you really want the job, the letter will be easy to write because it will contain genuine impressions and sentiments. If you choose to skip the letter, perhaps you don't care if you're hired or not. But make that decision yours and withdraw from the process instead of letting the decision be made for you.

How To Write A Thank You Letter After An Interview - A Simple Formula for Uniqueness
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Prior to starting her firm, VisionQuest, Judi Perkins was a search consultant for 25 years in both the contingency and retained market, including a short stint in the temporary and local permanent placement markets. She has owned her own firm and successfully assisted numerous repeat clients in hiring all levels of management. To sign up for her newsletter and learn thousands of powerful concepts to find your perfect job go to http://www.findtheperfectjob.com.

Article Writing - Aim to Change Lives, Don't Showcase Your Knowledge, When Writing Articles

What's your motivation for writing articles? Do you want to change lives or showcase your knowledge? Good article writers are experts at sharing their knowledge. Great article writers share their knowledge and also tell their readers how to apply it to their lives.

Florence Littauer of CLASServices says, "Aim to change lives, not cover material." What an awesome, but not impossible, responsibility. According to Florence, article writers have a dual purpose when writing - simplifying information so that it is easily understood and summarizing concepts or idea so that readers or able to apply them to their lives.

Michael Stewart, the Internet Video Guy, gives five reasons readers search the internet for articles: to make money, to save money, to meet their needs, to avoid pain, or to seek pleasure. When sharing your expertise in articles, are you addressing one or more of these issues in a way your readers can easily understand? If so, you are laying the foundation to help change lives and not just cover material in your articles.

Article Writing - Aim to Change Lives, Don't Showcase Your Knowledge, When Writing Articles

Tips for Changing Lives

Know your niche. What are their needs, desires, problems, and pains? What burning questions do they have that your expertise can answer? Ask your readers questions. Let them tell you what their needs are. If you want to write an article quickly, select people around you who are ideal representatives of your niche. Listen to their answers, compare it with what you know and write your article. Target a problem and present a solution. If someone is drowning, wouldn't you throw them a lifeline? Without a doubt you would. Take the problems of your niche just as seriously. They are looking for assistance. Give it to them. At that moment in time, you may have the solution they need. If they need more help than you have to offer, don't worry. They will know when they have found the right solution for them. Make your bottom line obvious. Although an article is well-written and easily understandable, a reader may not be quite sure what they are to do with the information they have received. Tell them the bottom line in one sentence so they know exactly how to meet their needs after reading your article. They are happy and you are happy.

Write articles based on your passion. Isn't it great to know that the things you are passionate about can change the lives of your readers?

Try experimenting with different writing templates to appeal to as many readers as possible.

Article Writing - Aim to Change Lives, Don't Showcase Your Knowledge, When Writing Articles
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Lessie Harvey, iCoach-WritingSpeakingMarketing, offers you a free step-by-step article writing template. To get yours, go to: [http://www.icoach-writingspeakingmarketing.com]

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Article Writing 101: The Perfect Author Resource Box

If you want to really make your article "SELL" then you've got to craft the perfect RESOURCE BOX. This is the "author bio" that is below your article body and it's also known as your "SIG" (short for SIGnature).

Here are the essential items that should be in your RESOURCE BOX:

Your Name: You'd be amazed at how many folks forget to include their name in the RESOURCE BOX. Your name and optional title should be the first thing in your resource box. Your Website Address: in valid URL form. Example: http://Your-Company-Name.com/ Your Elevator Pitch: This is 1 to 3 sentences that encapsulates the essence of what makes you and your offering unique. Also known as your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). Your Call To Action: You've got them warmed up and now it's time to lead them to BUY from you or visit your website. This is where you "Ask For The Sale." Best to only give (1) specific call to action.
Here are some optional items you could include in your RESOURCE BOX:

Article Writing 101: The Perfect Author Resource Box

Your Ezine Subscription Address: While getting your interested visitor to surf your website is nice, capturing their email address can help you begin the confidence/trust process. If you're going to do this strategy, include a URL for your ezine subscription address and do not use an email address for the "join" address. Your Contact Information: Such as your business phone number or how to reach you for interviews or your press/media kit. Keep in mind that article marketing is a timeless strategy and you may not have an easy ability to retract what you put in your article once it hits major distribution. A Free Report: This could also be part of your call to action or your free bonus report that further enhances your credibility as the expert on the topic of your article. Your email autoresponder: I'm not a big fan of this strategy due to the fact that spammers will text-extract your autoresponder address and add it to their spam list. Perhaps this strategy was best for the 1990's and has now run its course. An anchor URL that is related to one keyword or keyword phrase that you want to build SEO strength for. Example: if I wanted to build search engine relevance/strength for the term "Article Writing," I'd link up that term in my resource box to my website. This is an intermediate to advanced level strategy and should not be abused by over-doing it. Keep it simple.
What NOT to include in your RESOURCE BOX:

A listing of every website you own. There is no faster way to dilute your credibility than by posting a half dozen irrelevant URLs that have nothing to do with each other. Best to only post ONE URL that is related to the topic of your article. A listing of every accomplishment you've achieved to date. No one cares. Keep your resource box brief and to the point. Yes, your resource box should be benefit oriented so that the reader finds value in reading it rather than your ego being justified. Advertisements or pitches for products that are not relevant to the topic of your article. Keep the size of your resource box so that it's no larger than 15% of your total article size. Too often I see resource boxes that are 50% of the size of the total article and this is abusive.
Your Perfect Resource Box Conclusion:

The BODY of your article is where you "GIVE" and the RESOURCE BOX is where you get to "TAKE" for your article gift of information. The resource box is the "currency of payment" you receive for giving away your article. Be sure to include your name, website address, your unique selling proposition as briefly as possible and a simple call to action.

Article Writing 101: The Perfect Author Resource Box
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Christopher M. Knight invites you to submit your best quality original articles for massive exposure to the high-traffic http://EzineArticles.com/ expert author community. When you submit your articles to EzineArticles.com, your articles will be picked up by ezine publishers who will reprint your articles with your content and links intact giving you traffic surges to help you increase your sales. To submit your article, setup a membership account today: http://EzineArticles.com/submit/

(c) Copyright - Christopher M. Knight. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Article Writing And Bullet Points

Many people have problems writing articles because they have trouble getting their thoughts organized. Ultimately, they end up going from one random idea to another with no real direction, thus resulting in the article coming off as a jumble of ideas and not at all coherent. In this article, we're going to discuss the easiest way to get through the writing of an article on any topic; the use of bullet points. We'll explain what a bullet point is, how to use it and finish with examples. Hopefully, after reading this article, you'll know how to use bullet points to effectively write all of your articles.

A bullet point is a specific idea to be discussed. For example, in writing an article about identifying home business scams, the bullet points may be as follows:

1. What a scam is.

Article Writing And Bullet Points

2. How to identify a scam.

3. What to do if you suspect you've been scammed.

These are three bullet points that you could use to write your article on identifying home business scams. Each bullet point would be a specific paragraph or section of your article. A well written article only needs to have about three or four paragraphs in addition to your introduction. So three or four bullet points should be more than sufficient to get your point across.

So, how do you go about using bullet points? Well, bullet points should be used in your introduction, just as I did in this article. If you go back to my introductory paragraph, you should be able to easily spot the bullet points. If not, here they are below.

1. What a bullet point is.

2. How to use it.

3. Finish with examples.

By doing this,. I have a clear path for my article to follow so that it flows smoothly.

Finally, we reach the third bullet point in this article, the examples. Okay, here is an example of an introductory paragraph on buying designer shoes. Mind you, I really don't know anything about designer shoes. I'm using this point to illustrate that even for a topic you know nothing about, you can still organize your thoughts in a way that makes researching the topic very easy.

Here is our paragraph.

Many people are into designer shoes because they want to have the latest in fashion. However, for those of you who aren't quite sure how to go about getting designer shoes, this article should give you a head start. We'll discuss what designer shoes are, where to find them, how to know if you're paying too much and finally what some of the top designer shoes are.

Okay, what are our bullet points?

1. What designer shoes are.

2. Where to find them.

3. How to know if you're paying too much.

4. What the top designer shoes are.

There you have it. Those are enough bullet points to fill up four paragraphs of an article.

By using bullet points in your articles, it makes the art of article writing a whole lot easier.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

Article Writing And Bullet Points
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Want to write killer articles? Want your bios to sizzle? Want to get people flocking to your site like bees to honey? Check out a book that I personally wrote called "The Complete Article Writing And Marketing Guide" which you can find at http://www.honestincomeprogram.com/tcawamg.html along with a boat load of testimonials.