In line 4, we see the repetition of the long A sound in “nailed,” “naked,” and “stakes.” This repetition of vowel sounds is better known as assonance. Alliteration is the repetition of similar sounds at the beginning of multiple words (e.g. “two torn tulips”). Allusion is a reference to another literary (or sometimes historical, artistic, etc.) thing, place, or event (e.g. the title of the novel Brave New World alludes to the lines “O brave new world, / That has such people in ‘t!” in Shakespeare’s The Tempest). Chiasmus is the use of a crisscross or reverse structure in a sentence or paragraph (e.g. Coleridge’s “Flowers are lovely, love is flowerlike”). Epistrophe is the repetition of the end of a clause at the end of several clauses in a row (e.g. “I like strawberry ice cream, I buy chocolate ice cream, I eat all kinds of ice cream”).

Passage adapted from Arthur Rimbaud’s “The Drunken Boat,” (1920)

Calling the tides’ actions “furious” is an example of anthropomorphism, the assigning of human characteristics to inanimate objects. The entire poem itself is in fact an extended example of anthropomorphism, which is also known as personification. Flashback is a shift in narrative to a previous scene in order to provide the reader with important background information. Apostrophe is a direct address to the reader (e.g. Herman Melville’s “Call me Ishmael”). Motif is the recurring use of an image, idea, or subject in a work of literature (e.g. weaving and silk production in Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel Middlesex). Prolepsis is another word for flash forward, the literary technique of telling the reader what’s going to happen in the story’s future.

Passage adapted from Arthur Rimbaud’s “The Drunken Boat,” (1920)

Putting “I ran” at the very end of its sentence is a classic example of literary inversion, also known as anastrophe. Stream of consciousness is a style of writing designed to mimic the free-flowing thoughts of someone’s inner consciousness; the style often involves disorganization and lack of standard punctuation or capitalization. Synesthesia is the conflation of different sensory perceptions (e.g. a velvety sound, a bright flavor). Verisimilitude is the appearance of reality or truth (without necessarily being actually real or true). Anaphora is the repetition of the beginning of a clause.

Passage adapted from Arthur Rimbaud’s “The Drunken Boat,” (1920)

In line 11 we have an apostrophe, a direct address to the reader. An aphorism is a pithy saying or adage (e.g. “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”). Interrogative voice is simply the use of questions, and caricature is a cartoonish or exaggerated portrait of a person. Alliteration is the repetition of similar sounds at the beginning of multiple words (e.g. “two torn tulips”).

Excerpt adapted from Thomas Gray’s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. (1751)

In line 11, we have a short parenthetical statement that interrupts the flow of the sentence. This technique is known as an aside and can perform a variety of functions in poetry.

Excerpt adapted from Thomas Gray’s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. (1751)

Aposiopesis is the sudden, deliberate breaking-off of a line of writing or speech for deliberate effect, as seen here. Synesthesia is the conflation of different sensory perceptions (e.g. a velvety sound, a bright flavor). Paradoxes are contradictory statements, something that seems impossible (e.g. Odysseus’ “I am no man” in The Odyssey). An aphorism is a pithy saying or adage (e.g. “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”).

Passage adapted from Conrad Aiken’s “Morning Song From ‘Senlin.’” Modern American Poetry, ed.Louis Untermeyer. (1919)

Through the contrast of the narrator’s mundane daily tasks (lines 1-2) and the breathtaking imagery of the natural world (lines 3-4), the author successfully employs juxtaposition. Mythology refers to a culture’s collection of sacred or important myths or archetypal stories (e.g. stories about Zeus and Hera are part of Greek mythology). Motif is the recurring use of an image, idea, or subject in a work of literature (e.g. weaving and silk production in Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel Middlesex). Prolepsis is another word for flash forward, the literary technique of telling the reader what’s going to happen in the story’s future. Epistles are letters, and epistolary is an adjective that describes the use of letters as a storytelling device in a larger narrative.

Passage adapted from Conrad Aiken’s “Morning Song From ‘Senlin.’” Modern American Poetry, ed.Louis Untermeyer. (1919)

We have the repeated use of “and” in lines 7-11, making this a prime example of polysyndeton, excessive use of conjunctions. This is the opposite of asyndeton, a lack of conjunction words (e.g. “I came, I saw, I conquered”). Apostrophe is a direct address to the reader (e.g. Herman Melville’s “Call me Ishmael”), while epistrophe is the repetition of the end of a clause at the end of several clauses in a row (e.g. “I like strawberry ice cream, I buy chocolate ice cream, I eat all kinds of ice cream”). Epanalepsis is another word for chiasmus, the repetition of the beginning of one clause at the end of the subsequent clause.

Passage adapted from Conrad Aiken’s “Morning Song From ‘Senlin.’” Modern American Poetry, ed.Louis Untermeyer. (1919)

Throughout this passage, we see the repeated use of visual imagery: specific colors, vivid details, and arresting descriptions of the cosmos. Foreshadowing is the use of hints to suggest something that will appear later in a narrative (e.g. the appearance of a black cat at the beginning of a poem may foreshadow bad luck at the end of the poem). Simile is a comparison using “like” or “as” (e.g. “the still pond is like a looking glass”). Rhetorical questions are questions that are asked for effect rather than to solicit information (e.g. “Why me?”). Stream of consciousness is a style of writing designed to mimic the free-flowing thoughts of someone’s inner consciousness; the style often involves disorganization and lack of standard punctuation or capitalization.

Passage adapted from Conrad Aiken’s “Morning Song From ‘Senlin.’” Modern American Poetry, ed.Louis Untermeyer. (1919)

Here we have the repeated and excessive use of “and,” making this an example of polysyndeton. A soliloquy is a long monologue that, in drama, specifically refers to a monologue in which no other characters are present on the stage (e.g. Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” speech). Synecdoche is a specific type of metonymy in which the real word for something is replaced by a word for a part of that thing (e.g. someone saying they need a “hand” when they really need the entire person’s help). Conceits are elaborate and extended metaphors.

Passage adapted from Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself,” Leaves of Grass (1855).