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What are the poetic devices used in the poem The Spirit is Too Blunt an Instrument?

What are the poetic devices used in the poem The Spirit is Too Blunt an Instrument?
American PoetryAnne StevensonThe Spirit is Too Blunt an Instrument

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    2. Radhika
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      • Metaphor- A metaphor is a figure of speech that draws a comparison between two unrelated ideas. It’s a means of metaphorically transferring one thing’s attributes to another. In the poem’s fundamental metaphor, the “spirit” is compared to a “blunt instrument,” implying that it is insufficient to create the baby’s complex perfection. This comparison does a good job of highlighting the differences between the body’s exact physical processes and the spirit’s raw emotions and abstract thinking
      • Enjambment- The poem makes extensive use of enjambment, in which phrases flow seamlessly between line breaks. As a result, there is a sense of movement and flow that resembles the smoothness of the baby’s biological functions. Additionally, it invites the reader to read the poem straight through, mirroring the body’s systems’ continuous activity.
      • Irony- A figure of speech known as irony entails a contradiction in the words and expressions used. Subtle sarcasm is used in the poem when it says the infant was made “out of mere habit” and “ignorant precision.” The poem’s underlying examination of the intricate relationship between intention and result is highlighted by the contrast between these terms, which on the surface seem negative, and the baby’s miraculous nature.
      • Imagery- The use of words or figures of speech by a writer or speaker to evoke a strong mental image or visceral feeling is known as imagery. Stevenson emphasizes the intricacy of the baby’s physical features by illuminating them with vibrant images. Phrases such as “shell-like complexity,” “distinct eyelashes and sharp crescent fingernails,” and “fine meshings of ganglia and vertebrae” highlight the “bluntness” of the spirit by bringing the baby’s physicality to life.

      The Spirit Is Too Blunt an Instrument Summary

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