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What are the poetic devices used in the poem As I Grew Older?

What are the poetic devices used in the poem As I Grew Older?
American PoetryAs I Grew OlderLangston Hughes

    1 Answer

    2. Radhika
      Best Answer

      • Hyperbole- hyperbole is the use of exaggeration in a poem. In this poem, the poet exaggerates in the lines “Rose until it touched the sky—”, “Into a thousand lights of sun” and “Into a thousand whirling dreams/ Of sun!”

      • Alliteration – Alliteration is repetition of the same letter or sound in a line. In the poem the poet uses alliteration in the lines “there then”, “rose/ Rose”, “me and my”.

      • Simile- simile is used when the poet directly compares one thing to another by using the words “as” or “like”. In this poem, the poet uses a simile and compares his dream to the brightness of the sun in the line ”Bright like the sun”.

      • Irony – irony is used when what the poet says is in contradiction to what they actually mean. In this poem, the poet uses irony when he talks about the racial discrimination faced by his community in the lines “I am Black” “I lie down in the shadow”.

      • Symbolism- symbolism is when the poet uses words to symbolize a concept, person or idea in a poem. In this poem, “Sun” is used as the symbol for hope and dreams of the African American community.

      • Repetition- Repetition is a literary device in which a word, phrase, or line is repeated for emphasis or effect. The words “dream”, “hands”, “sun”, “wall” and “shadow” are repeated.

      • Metaphor- metaphor is used when the poet makes an undercut comparison between two things without using the words “like” or “as”. In the, the poet compares the wall in the poem to the racism and oppression the peot has to face from society.

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