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What are the poetic devices used in the poem Song for a Dark Girl?

What are the poetic devices used in the poem Song for a Dark Girl?
American PoetryLangston HughesSong for a Dark Girl

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    2. Radhika
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      • Refrain- refrain is used when a line is repeated in a stanza or a poem. In the poem, the first line is repeated at the beginning of every stanza.

      • 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 woman’s love to “A naked shadow/ On a gnarled and naked tree.”

      • Rhetorical question- a rhetorical question is a question asked by the poet without the intention of getting an answer but to put stress on an idea. In the second stanza, the woman asks the rhetorical question “What was the use of prayer.”

      • Allusion – allusion is used when the words or phrases in a poem refer to something else. In this poem the lines “They hung my black young lover/ To a crossroads tree” is a reference to the crucification of Jesus Christ.

      • Imagery- imagery is the use of words by a poet to paint a picture in the minds of the reader. Imagery can be of various types; tactile, olfactory, auditory, gustatory and visual. The poem uses visual imagery in the lines “They hung my black young lover/ To a crossroads tree.”

      • Alliteration – Alliteration is repetition of the same letter or sound in a line. In the poem the poet repeats the /b/ sound in the line “bruised body.”

      • Aside – aside is extra information given in the poem directly to the readers. In the poem, the poet uses the lines “Break the heart of me” and “Bruised body high in the air” to give a detailed description of the woman’s grief.

      Song for a Dark Girl Summary

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