1. Personification:

Personification is a poetic device where animals, plants or even inanimate objects are given human qualities.

The poet has personified the inanimate objects in the following lines. 

 

“day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees”

 

“and this is the sun’s birthday;this is the birth

day of life and of love and wings”

For instance, the poet has personified “tree” in the first quatrain. The speaker describes how their “spirits” jump in the morning. The poet has also personified “sun”, “life” and “love” in the second quatrain.

2.Repetition:

Repetition is a literary device where a certain word or phrase is repeated multiple times to emphasise the word or to create a rhythm.

The poet has repeated the term “which” in the fourth line of the first stanza. The poet has used this technique to emphasis the word.

“which is natural which is infinite which is yes.” 

 

3.Alliteration:

Alliteration is a literary device in which certain sounds are repeated at the beginning of words in a sentence or phrase. Alliteration can be found in the following lines.

 

i who have died am alive again today,  (Line 5)

 

day of life and of love and wings:and of the gay

great happening illimitably earth)  ( Lines 7 -8)

 

how should tasting touching hearing seeing (Line 9)

 

4.Anaphora:

Anaphora is a literary device that uses the repetition of short phrases or single words at the beginning of clauses or sentences to enhance rhythm. It occurs in the final couplet of the poem

(now the ears of my ears awake and

now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

 The couplet begins with the phrase, “now the”.

 

5.Rhetorical question:

It’s a question asked not for the answer, but for the effect. Oftentimes, a rhetorical question is used to emphasise a point or just to get the audience thinking.

It occurs in 

“human merely being

doubt unimaginable You?”

 

6.Aside:

An aside is a comment that a character makes to him or herself in a play. It represents their inner thoughts in spoken form.

 

This literary device is used in alternative stanzas. The poet has used this device to share his inner thoughts. By using this technique, the poet has described his admiration at God’s creation. This technique can be seen in the second stanza and final couplet.

 

(i who have died am alive again today,

and this is the sun’s birthday;this is the birth

day of life and of love and wings:and of the gay

great happening illimitably earth)

 

(now the ears of my ears awake and

now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

I Thank You God For this Most Amazing Summary

See less