poetic device
Verse's artistic element
A poetic device is any technique a poet uses to create effects beyond plain statement—rhyme, meter, alliteration, metaphor, enjambment, and dozens more.
The term extends to prose that employs such techniques: The novelist's poetic devices include extended metaphors and rhythmic repetition.
Also called literary device, though that term is broader.
- figurative languageNon-literal modes of expression
- personificationAttributing humanity to non-humans
- simileComparison via "as"
- stanzaPoem's line grouping
- metaphorImplied identity comparison
extended metaphor · hyperbole · litotes · rhythm · caesura · symbolism · alliteration · consonance · end rhyme · synecdoche · anaphora · euphony · zeugma · volta · paradox · apostrophe · enjambment · synesthesia
- figurative languagemetaphor, simile, figure of speech, analogy, personification
- personificationpersonification, anthropomorphism, talking animals, talking trees, talking toys
poetic deviceplain speech
Unembellished verbal expression
technical writing · journalistic style · business writing · scientific writing
poetic devicenatural language
Human communication, not programming
casual speech · everyday language · colloquial speech · conversational language
poetic devicestream of consciousness
Narrative mimicking uninterrupted thought
informal speech · colloquial language · vernacular · everyday language · conversational tone