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Common Literary Techniques in Poetry

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Common Literary Techniques in Poetry
Kevin R. Wakefield
ENG 125: Introduction to Literature
Cicely Young
October 7, 2012

Common Literary Techniques in Poetry According to the Free Dictionary (2012), poetry is defined as “A verbal composition designed to convey experiences, ideas, or emotions in a vivid and imaginative way, characterized by the use of language chosen for its sound and suggestive power and by the use of literary techniques such as meter, metaphor, and rhyme”. The tone of a poem exposes the approach of the author that he or she wishes the intended audience to capture. These feelings may be of happiness and joy, anguish and sorrow, or simply a comical approach. Oftentimes, foreshadowing and personification lead to a very vivid image being revealed as the author attempts to invoke a certain feeling in the intended audience. Thus, the tone is set, and as in the short poem entitled Boy at the Window (Wilbur, 1952), one can feel the anguish of both the parent and the child as the snowman cries.
As the author begins to foreshadow the poem, hints of what’s to come are being revealed to keep the attention of his or reader. The reader may feel one way at this point, but often that reader may change his or her mind at a later point as the events of the story being told unfold. “Seeing the snowman standing all alone” (Wilbur, 1952) evokes to this reader of a wintry afternoon that a child has spent outdoors happily playing in the snow, creating a snowman that implies happy holidays right around the corner. The reader can nearly feel the warmth from the fireplace, and see the gaily decorated homes and a bright red cardinal sitting atop of the snowman, even though no mention of such is made. The reader wishes to continue the good feelings evoked by this poem, as the personification of the snowman develops. The identification of inanimate objects or

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