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What are the poetic devices used in the poem Grief Calls Us to the Things of This World?

What are the poetic devices used in the poem Grief Calls Us to the Things of This World?

1 Answer

  1. This answer was edited.
    • Allusion:

    The title of the poem and the epigraph is an allusion to American poet Richard Wilbur’s poem named “Love calls us to the things of the world”. The epigraph is taken from the sixth line of Wilbur’s poem. The morning air is all awash with angels . . .                                             – Richard Wilbur There is even a reference to angels which indicates the Biblical allusions. Those angels burden and unbalance us. Those fuc-king angels ride us piggyback.

    • Alliteration:

    Alliteration is a literary device in which certain sounds are repeated at the beginning of words in a sentence or phrase. The poet has used this device in the following lines. I wonder whom I should call? A plumber,  Proctologist, urologist, or priest? He’s astounded by bathroom telephones. And sing our praise to forgetfulness Before they slap our souls with their cold wings. Those angels, forever falling, snare us And haul us, prey and praying, into dust.

    • 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. The poet has used this poetic device in the following lines. Those angels burden and unbalance us. Those fu-cking angels ride us piggyback. Those angels, forever falling, snare us All the three pines begin with the word “Those”. It is used to enhance the rhythm of the poem. Grief Calls Us to the Things of This World Summary

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