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What are the poetic devices used in the poem The Dream?

What are the poetic devices used in the poem The Dream?

1 Answer

    1. Allusion: It is a reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work of literature. For example, “For nothing less than thee”  refers to the beloved and suggests the idea of how important the person is to the speaker.
    2. Apostrophe: A figure of speech in which the speaker addresses an absent or imaginary person or entity. The entire poem is an apostrophe to the beloved, as the speaker addresses her with “Dear love”.
    3. Assonance: It is the repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words. For example, “it could not choose but be” uses assonance with the /o/ sound, creating a sense of musicality and emphasis.
    4. Hyperbole: It is an exaggerated statement used to emphasize a point or create a particular effect. “Thou art so true that thoughts of thee suffice / To make dreams truths, and fables histories” is a hyperbole that emphasizes the beloved’s truthfulness and the speaker’s devotion.
    5. Irony: It is a contrast between what is expected and what happens. The poem shows it in lines “Thou wak’d’st me wisely; yet my dream thou brok’st not, but continued’st it”. The irony in this line is that the speaker is initially grateful to the person who woke him up from his dream, but then realizes that the dream is still continuing even though he is awake, which is not what he wanted.
    6. Metaphor: It is a comparison between two, unlike things without using “like” or “as.” “That love is weak where fear’s as strong as he” compares love and fear, creating a metaphor.
    7. Personification: It gives human characteristics to non-human entities. For example, “Perchance as torches, which must ready be” personifies the beloved’s actions.
    8. Simile: It is a comparison between two unlike things using “like” or “as.” “As lightning, or a taper’s light, / Thine eyes, and not thy noise wak’d me” uses a simile to compare the brightness of the beloved’s eyes to lightning or the light of a candle.
    9. Symbolism: It is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. The dream itself can be seen as a symbol of the speaker’s subconscious desires and feelings towards the beloved, while the act of waking up from the dream represents a shift to a more conscious and rational state.

    The Dream Summary

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