What are the poetic devices/figures of speech used in the poem A Time to Believe?

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   Daanish Malik

   2022-03-24T23:48:34+05:30Added an answer on March 24, 2022 at 11:48 pm

   • Enjambment: This device is used in each stanza to make one read the consecutive lines to get the overall idea. For example, in the first stanza, the first two lines are connected by using this device. The first line creates suspense while the second line completes the sense.
   • Alliteration: The repetition of similar sounds (vowel or consonant) in successive words is called alliteration. It occurs in the following examples from the text. “dreams really do” “stardust sky”  “man in the moon”  “learn to love”  “pick up/ the pieces” “time to”
   • Repetition: The order of words in the first line “To believe to know” is repeated at the beginning of the third, fifth, and sixth stanzas. Alongside that, each section begins with the same phrase “To believe”. It is meant for the sake of emphasis as well as creating a resonance of the main idea.
   • Metaphor: A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not applicable. Morbitzer uses several metaphors in the poem. For example: “the beauty of an aging hand” is an implicit reference to the experience and wisdom of an old man. In the lines “When it is time to pick up/ the pieces and begin again”, the “pieces” is a metaphorical reference to failure. There is another metaphor in the line “That life is a gift”. Here, life is compared to a gift of God.
   • Synecdoche: A synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a term for a part of something refers to the whole of something or vice versa. This figure of speech can be found in the first three lines of the third stanza. “a nurturing heart” — It is a reference to a kind and caring person. “innocence in a child’s eyes” — Here, the poet refers to the purity of a child that can be reflected in its eyes. “beauty of an aging hand” — It is a reference to the intellectual beauty of an aged person.
   • Epigram: A brief, interesting, memorable, and sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The overall poem is written in the form of an epigram. Each stanza contains brief, interesting, and memorable statements concerning life lessons. For example, in the first stanza, the poet says “to believe” is all about trusting that miracles happen and our dreams do come true.

   A Time to Believe Summary

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