Paige Modestou: Language features of poetry

The Language In Poetry

 

There are many different features of language in poetry. Usually poems will consist of these 6 main features; Alliteration, which is the repetition of consonant sounds at the start of a word, for example: The sun sizzled softly in the warm afternoon. Onomatoepia, which is a word that imitates the sound that it describes, for example: The balloon popped in my ear. Rhyme, which is when the clause/sentence has a beat to it, for example: I really love custard and I have a dog called Bustard. Assonance, which is the repetition of a vowel sound. It's different from rhyme because it does not need to be at the end of each line. An example of assonance is: how now brown cow. Rhythm, which is a repeated beat through the poem, it is simply just the rhyme repeated. The last feature is repetition which is the repetition of a word, sentence or phrase.
 
Children's poetry usually consists of the 6 features, this may be because it is basic to start them off with. As they grow up we can then introduce them to more complex terms like, a blank verse which is a verse comprised of unrhymed lines. Connotation which is implied or additional meaning or association with different meanings. Motif which is a recurring theme or symbol, for example, in the poem limbo there is a repeated, constant chant. Pathetic fallacy which is the attribution of human feelings or responses to inanimate things or to animals. These features are more likely to be found in poems aimed at an older or more mature audience.
The theme of a poem talks about the main idea, the thought behind what the poet wants to convey. A theme can be anything from a description about a person or a thing, or a thought or story. A theme stands for whatever the poem is about.
 
Similes can be used to add to the beauty of a poem. This is done with the use of "as" or "like" to create comparisons to make the lines more understandabe and expressive. For example a line that goes "her laughter was like a hyena's," the poet is comparing the laughter to a hyena's which makes the idea more clear for the reader and they understand. Similes are optional but important elements of poetry.
 
A metaphor is similar to a simile in the way that it is making a comparison but it is much more complex. The poet is comparing but also applying the term or phrase to something that it is not literally. For example "I am a cold ice cube." The poet obviously cannot be an ice cube but they are implying that they are so cold they have turned in to one. A metaphor can be a very powerful feature of poetry.