E-Lecture - Poetic Devices/Literary Terms from the Poem
- Language: The poem is complicated by unusual construction of sentences. Some words are used in special forms e.g. ‘’unselve’’ (ruin, destroy), ‘’especial’’ (special, important), ‘’dandled’’ (dangled). ‘’Felled’’ (deliberate and wanton destruction of aspen trees). In second stanza, there were punctuation marks which range from a dash, an exclamation mark, a colon to commas.
- Repetition: It is when words or phrases are used severally in poems. ‘’The sweet especial scene,’’ sweet especial rural scene’’ lines 22 and 24. ‘’Ten or twelve, only ten or twelve’’ line 20. These were used to show that human beings should be more sensitive to nature and what is done to it.
- Simile: This is comparison of two things that share same features but are from different nature. The countryside is compared with the ‘’Seeing Eye’’ lines 14-15 ‘’that, like this sleek and seeing ball,’’ But a prick will make no eye at all.’’ This means that eye is a delicate thing and it should be taken care of properly.
- Personification: The transfer of the quality of animate object into inanimate object. Nature was considered as a woman. ’’Since country is so tender’’ To touch her being so slender.’’ ‘’Her’’ is used for countryside. The tree’s shadows look like someone’s leg with sandals on. Lines 6-8.
- Alliteration: This is the repetition of same sound in poetry. The following are examples: Quelled or quenched in leaves (Q,Q), Felled, felled are all felled (F,F,F) etc. These show how human beings abuse nature in countless cases.
- Visual image: This is the creation of mental picture in the mind of a reader or listener. The whole poem creates a visual image that poplars lining the river near Binsey had been cut down. ‘’airy cages’’(in providing shade). The entire picture of destruction is visual out by the words ‘’delve or hew’’ (dig or cop down trees).
- Biblical Allusion: It is when reference is made to thing already known by a reader. The poet used Biblical allusion in Luke 23:24 ‘’forgive them father for they know not what they do.’’ In the poem, we have ‘’O if we but know what we do.’’ It means human beings are ignorant of the ecological implications when they ruin nature.
Browse Chapter