NAME OF THE POEM & LITERARY DEVICE SUMMARY

POET
1. DUST OF SNOW by Rhyme Scheme : abab - in both stanza The poem describes a very simple happening in very
Robert Frost Figures of speech : simple words.
1. Alliteration - has given my heart It tells us that sometimes even a small incident may
Saved some part prove to be of a larger significance.
2. Assonance - way a, day, change, saved ( because The poet is upset in the beginning of the poem but a
vowel sound 'a' is used repeatedly ) small incident of falling of snow changes his mood
3. Metaphor - is used when the poet compared the totally.
falling snow flakes from hemlock tree to dust. Crow and hemlock tree both are considered to be ill-
4. Synecdoche - is used where the poet said his omen and are not considered auspicious but here they
‘heart’ undergone a change in mood, which are responsible to change poet's mood.
actually represented his entire personality. In the end of the poem the poet feels relaxed and
thankful to the nature for saving his day from being
wasted.
FIRE AND ICE by Rhyme scheme : 1st stanza - abaa, The poem expresses the profound idea that the
Robert Frost 2nd stanza - ababa world would end in one of two ways, either by
1.Assonance: I hold with those who favour fire. ice or fire. As this poem is about the apocalypse,
2. Alliteration: I hold with those who favour fire, the poet expresses how the world will end.
World will. Some people believe that the world will be
3. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers destroyed by fire, while others argue that it will
perceive things involving their five senses. For be frozen. Initially, the speaker also supports
example, “Some say the world will end in fire” and those who are in favour of fire. But, as the poem
“To say that for destruction ice, is also great”. progresses, he remains undecided and mentions
4. Symbolism: “Fire” is the symbol of desires and that if the world ends twice the ice can bring
“Ice” symbolizes hatred. equal destruction as fire. The poet, very
5. Anaphora: Some say the world will end in fire, artistically, underpins the deep philosophy that
Some say in ice.” we, let our emotions rule us and if we don’t
6. Personification: Personification is to give control them, they will surely destroy
human qualities to inanimate objects. In this poem, everything around us.
“Fire” and “Ice” are capable of destruction.
 Therefore, the poet personifies fire and ice by Major Themes in “Fire and Ice”: Hatred and
giving them a mind which is capable of destroying power of emotions are the major themes of the
almost anything. poem. The poet discusses the destructive
7. Enjambment: “From what I’ve tasted of desire features of human emotions. He uses
I hold with those who favour fire.” the symbol of fire and ice to show how desires
and hatred contribute to making the world
stand at the verge of chaos. Also, these powerful
emotions will eventually drag the world toward
a catastrophic end.
3. A TIGER IN THE ZOO▪ Rhyme scheme: abcb (cage-rage) The poem begins with a description of a tiger
by Leslie Norris ▪ 1. Personification: The tiger is personified because that is very beautiful and is walking in his little
the poet refers him as ‘he’. cage. He has beautiful stripes on his skin and
▪ 2. Metaphor: Tiger’s paws are compared with has velvet like soft paws. But the tiger is not
velvet (pads of velvet) happy and is quite angry about being confined
▪ 3. Enjambment: Sentence is continuing to next line in the cage. The poet says that if the tiger was
without any punctuation mark. sliding not confined to the zoo cage, he would have
through...deer pass., he should be snarling been hiding himself behind the long grass near
...jungle's edge., some water body, in order to catch its prey that
▪ 4. Imagery: poet tries to create an image about the is the deer. Also, he would have terrorised the
tiger (He stalks in his vivid stripes The few steps of residents of the villages around the forest area.
his cage, lurking in shadow,) But the reality is totally opposite to this. He was
▪ 5. Consonance: use of ‘s’ sound (stalks, his, stripes) confined in a cage which was made up of strong
▪ 6. Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘I’ (in his vivid building material and he was helpless there. He
stripes, baring, his, white, his, brilliant, with) could not show his power to the visitors,
▪ 7. Oxymoron: use of adjectives opposite in therefore, never tried to terrorize them. The
meaning (quiet rage) tiger is described as being powerless and
▪ 8. Alliteration - Plump pass, agonized by the poet. He says that during night
▪ 9. Onomatopoeia - snarling also he is alone, hearing the voice of the
▪ 10. Consonance - his, his, fangs, claws, strength, patrolling vehicles of police and looking at the
bars (s sound is repeated ) stars. The cage life has totally changed the
▪ tiger’s personality. The poet is trying to say that
 the animal which is famous for its fearlessness
and freedom is confined and sad due to the
human beings who want to derive pleasure by
looking at him in the zoo cage.
4. HOW TO TELL WILD Rhyme scheme : ababcc The poet is describing the various wild animals. These
ANIMALS by Carolyn 1. Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the animals are very dangerous and she has introduced
Wells next line (and if there…..tawny beast, if you were them one by one in a very funny way. First of all she
walking….creature there, though to tells us about an Asian lion. She says that if you are
distinguish….might nonplus, The visiting the jungles of the east and there you see an
crocodile…..hyena thus) animal which has tawny skin and he roars so loudly
that you will die out of fear. This means that you have
2. Inversion: Change in the format of a sentence (if
seen an Asian lion. Next in the line is the Bengal tiger
there should to you advance, The Bengal Tiger to
that she has explained to be a royal animal that at once
discern
attacks and kills a man. She says by adding humour
3. Assonance: use of vowel sound ’o’ (you should
that if this beautiful black striped animal kills you and
go, should to you, roars, or if some time when
eats you, then you have surely met a Bengal tiger. After
roaming round vowel sound ‘o’ in strolling-forth-
this, she says that if the reader met an animal that has
you, whose-spot, do no good to roar, use of vowel
black spotted skin and it at once jumps on him, then it
‘e’ (meet a creature there)
means that the reader has met a leopard. Moreover,
4. Allusion: Reference to a famous thing, place, she says that if one will cry out in pain, it maybe of no
species of animal, etc (Asian Lion, Bengal Tiger) use as the leopard will not stop attacking him. Then she
5. Alliteration: roaming round, he has, when- moves on to the bear that she says will hug very tightly.
walking, use of ‘h’ sound (who- hugs), use of ‘b’ This is the way to recognize a bear as it kills a person
sound (be-bear), novice-nonplus, the-thus, he by hugging him very tightly. So, she says that the bear
hasn’t will continue to hug us tightly and that is the only way
to recognize him. After this, she asks a question to the
6. Poetic license: A liberty to the poet to change the readers that do they know how to recognize beasts
spellings in order to create rhyme or rhythm in a that hunt their prey. Here she explains about hyenas
poem (use of lept instead of leapt) which she thinks have a smiling face and the crocodiles
7. Repetition: use of ‘lep’ word in the last line. that have tears in their eyes. This can be seen when
8. Consonance: use of ‘l’ sound (he’ll only lep lep, they are killing their prey. The last one in the list is the
 use of ‘g’ sound (single wing) Chameleon. She says that it is a lizard - like creature
which doesn’t have ears and wings just like a lizard.
Only this can help you differentiate between a lizard
and chameleon. She further says that the chameleon
▪ has a quality of changing its color according to the
colour of the surface. So, to explain this she says that if
the reader looks at the tree and if he can only see the
tree, this means that there is a chameleon sitting on it
which has already turned its color to brown just like
the branch of the tree.
5.THE BALL POEM by Rhyme scheme: There is no rhyme scheme The poet is talking about a little boy who has lost his
John Berryman followed in the poem. ball. He was playing with his ball. The ball skipped
from his hand and went into the nearby water body.
1. Anaphora: use of repeated words in two or
The poet says that this sight of the boy losing his
more lines (What is the boy… what, what and
favourite ball made him think about the boy and his
merrily bouncing… merrily over)
reaction to this situation. He further says that the boy
2. Assonance: repeated use of vowel ‘o’ (boy, now,
was helplessly looking into the water where his ball
who, lost), use of vowel sound ‘e’ (He is learning,
had gone. He was sad and was trembling with fear. He
well behind his desperate eyes)
got so immersed in his sorrow that he kept standing
3. Repetition: ‘ball’ word is repeated, ‘what’ is
near the harbour for a very long time and kept on
repeated
looking for his ball. The poet says that he could console
4. Imagery: when poet says merrily bouncing
him that he may get new balls or he could also give him
down the street
some money to buy another ball. But he stops himself
5. Asyndeton: no use of conjunction in a sentence
from doing so because he thinks that the money may
(A dime, another ball, is worthless)
bring a new ball but will not bring the memories and
6. Alliteration: use of sound ‘b’ at the start of two feelings attached to the lost ball. He further says that
consecutive words (buys a ball back) the time has come for the boy to learn his
responsibilities. Here the poet wants to say that now
the boy will learn the toughest lesson of life. The lesson
 of accepting the harsh realities of life that one day we
will lose our loved ones and our loved things.
6. AMANDA Rhyme: aaba ccc, aada eee (Amanda, Amanda, The poem describes a girl named Amanda and her
by Robin Klein shoes, Amanda, street, feet, sweet), Rhyme: rhyme mother who is nagging her for her mistakes. She is first
scheme aafa ggg (Amanda, Amanda, you, Amanda, pointed out most probably by her mother for biting her
care, rare, hair), aaha (Amanda, Amanda, you, nails and for not sitting in the right posture. The
Amanda) mother also feels that Amanda sits in a very lazy
1. Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at start of manner. To this, Amanda imagines herself as a
two or more lines (don’t bite… don’t hunch), (did mermaid who lives a calm and relaxing life in the
you finish….did you tidy) beautiful green sea.
2. Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (don’t hunch
Further, she is nagged for not cleaning her room and
your shoulders) (Thought, told, you, your, shoes),
shoes and also for not doing her homework. She then
use of vowel sound ‘e’ and ‘o’ (Will you please look
imagines herself to be an orphan because she is now
at me when I’m speaking to you
fed up of being watched by her parents continuously.
3. Metaphor: use of word emerald sea for green
She says that she would have enjoyed her freedom
colour of sea being similar to the colour of
then, by making the patterns of her bare feet on the
emerald.
sand and would live a peaceful life.
silence is golden - silence is said to be glorious like
golden colour, freedom is sweet - freedom is said Next, Amanda is scolded for eating too many
to be sweet in taste. chocolates as this causes pimples. She is also scolded
4. Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’ for not listening to her mother. So, now Amanda thinks
5. Imagery: drifting blissfully of being Rapunzel, a character from a fairy tale and
6. Alliteration: ‘Stop that slouching and sit up wants to live in a huge tower like her. In the tower she
straight’ - ‘s’ sound is being repeated at the start of will be alone and will live a peaceful life and will never
closely placed words. ‘Stop that sulking’ - ‘s’ sound allow anyone to come in.
is repeated.
7. Allusion: ‘mermaid’ & Rapunzel are well known Finally, the mother asks her to stop being moody
imaginary creatures. because she doesn’t want anyone to blame her for
8. Consonance: use of sound ‘r’ (I am Rapunzel; I harassing her daughter. At this time the poet has not
written any reaction from Amanda’s side. This constant
have not a care …..Bright hair)
nagging has made her so sad that she has even stopped
 to imagine herself as someone else. She used to do so in
order to escape from the continuous harassment and
dominance of her parents.
7. ANIMALS by Walt There is no rhyme scheme . In the poem animals, the poet has described his will to
Whitman become an animal because he thinks animals are far
1. Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘I’ (I, think, I,
better than human beings. Human beings are greedy
live, with, animals)
and full of jealousy against each other. But animals are
2. Repetition: use of the word ‘long’
calm and self contained. The animals are happy with
3. Anaphora: ‘I’ word used at the start of two what they have. They never complain about miseries
consecutive lines, (use of “they do not”) and sorrows. On the other hand human beings
4. Metaphor: sweat and whine refer to the cries complain about their miseries. They give more
and complaints of human beings. The inner importance to the rich and strong people, stay restless
qualities of humans are referred to as tokens because of their wrongdoings and run behind the
luxurious things of this world. Whereas animals are
honest about their relations and don’t give importance
to a particular class. They live a life which is full of
honesty and less of greed and jealousy.

8. THE TREES by 1. Personification: Sun bury it’s feet. Sun has been The poem has a symbolic meaning, the trees are an
Adrienne Rich personified, twigs and boughs have been extended metaphor for women. The poet says that the
personified. women have rested, healed and recovered and are
ready for their primary purpose - to renew the empty
2. Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the
forest of mankind.
next line (the forest that was…… trees by
morning), (the leaves strain……. Half dazed), The poet talks about trees symbolically. They refer to
(doors open….the house) women who have been healed and are ready to move
out of their houses to fulfil their primary purpose - to
3. Anaphora: 2 lines begin with ‘no’
renew the forest of mankind. As women have remained
4. Imagery: “The trees inside are moving out into
indoors, the forest has become empty, the birds and
 the forest” - shows kinestatic imagery, (the night is insects rendered shelterless. The Sun’s rays do not
fresh……into the rooms) have the tree trucks and leaves to fall upon and thus,
reach the earth. She says that the forest will be full of
5. Simile: trees compared to patients (like newly
trees the next morning. The roots of the trees are
discharged patients), (Moon is broken like a
working hard to separate from the floor of the veranda
mirror)
where they have remained fixed. The leaves and
6. Alliteration: ‘long letters’ forest from’ ‘sky still’ branches are moving towards the glass windows. They
‘leaves and lichens’ are desperate to move out just like a newly discharged
patient who has not recovered completely, moves to
the exit door of the hospital in a hurry. The poet is
sitting in her house with the doors of the veranda open.
She is writing letters but does not mention this
movement of the trees. It is night time, the sky is clear
and a bright moon is visible. She can smell the leaves
and lichen which seem to be calling out desperately.
She hears the glass of the window pane breaking. The
trees are moving out and the fast blowing wind
embraces them. As the trees have reached the forest,
the tall and strong oak tree overshadows the moon and
it seems that the moon has been broken into several
pieces.

9. FOG by Carl Poem is in free verse. The poet says that the fog which is generally seen
Sandburg during the winter season is coming towards the city
1. Metaphor: Fog is compared to cat (On little cat
and the harbour just like a cat. This means that it is
feet)
approaching the city in a very silent manner so that no
2. Enjambment: When a sentence continues to
one can notice its arrival. He has compared its arrival
next line (It sits looking….. then moves on)
to that of a cat because a cat always enters a place
 3. Personification: fog has been personified - Fog silently. Next he says that the fog has covered the
comes, it sits whole of the city and harbour and it appears as if it is
sitting by folding its legs and looking around just the
way a cat does when it sits on the haunches and looks
around. At the end, he describes the departure of the
fog which very silently and unpredictably, again,
similar to the departure of the cat, vanishes.
10. THE TALE OF The tale of custard the dragon is a ballad. It is a
CUSTARD THE humorous poem about a cowardly dragon named
DRAGON by Ogden custard. Custard is a pet of Belinda, a little girl
Nash who lives in a little white house with her pets.
She had a black kitten named ink, a grey mouse
named blink, a yellow dog mustard and a
cowardly dragon custard. The poet says that all
of them are very brave except the dragon.
Others were described as brave and are
compared with animals like bear, tiger or lion but
the dragon is very timid. He always demands a
safe place for himself. All the other characters
make fun of him. But one night they are
surprised by the entry of a pirate in the house. All
of them get frightened and start hiding here and
there. But to everyone’s surprise, the dragon not
only tackles him but also eats him up. As all of
them are saved by custard, they thank him. But
at the end, they realize that they used to make
fun of the dragon because of his being timid. So,
all of them suddenly start saying that they are
more brave and could have handled the situation
in a much better way. Here the poet has tried to
 say that sometimes a timid person is the actual
hero in the toughest situations of life.

11. FOR ANNE