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CLASS 10 FIRST FLIGHT ALL POEMS LITERARY DEVICES

POEM 1: DUST OF SNOW

 Inversion – when the structure of a sentence is changed by the poet to create
rhyme, this poetic license is called inversion. In stanza 1, inversion can be seen.
 Assonance – the prominence of a vowel sound throughout a line is called
assonance. In stanza 1, line 2 – “Shook down on me” – ‘o’ sound is prominent.
 Enjambment – when the same sentence continues to the next line without the
use of any punctuation marks, it is called enjambment. It has been used
throughout the poem.
 Alliteration– the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of
adjacent or closely connected words.
 Rhyme Scheme– ABABCDCD

POEM 2: FIRE AND ICE

 Assonance – it is repetition of vowel sounds in same line. The repetition is at
different places in different words.
 Example- The long sound of “o” in “I hold with those who favour fire”
 Alliteration – alliteration is the repetition of a consonant sound at the start of
two or more closely placed words.
 Example- The sound of “f” in “favour fire”, “w” in “world will”
 Imagery– Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five
senses.
 Example- “Some say the world will end in fire”
 “To say that for destruction ice Is also great”
 Anaphora– the repetition of a word or expression at the start of two or more
consecutive lines.
 Example – “Some say” is repeated at the start of lines 1 and 2.

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 Personification– Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate

objects. In this poem, “fire” and “ice” are capable of destruction. Thus, the poet
personifies fire and ice by giving them mind and power to destroy anything.
 Enjambment– it is defined as the thought or clause that does not come to an
end at a line break, rather it moves over to the next line.
 Example- “From what I’ve tasted of desire
o I hold with those who favor fire”
 Symbolism – Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify some ideas by giving
them symbolic meaning different from their literal meaning.
o Fire – symbolizes desire with human emotions like lust, fury, cruelty,
greed etc.
o Ice – symbolizes the hatred with cold feelings of humans such as
rigidity, jealousy, indifference, intolerance etc.
 Rhyme Scheme : ABAABCBCB

POEM 3: A TIGER IN THE ZOO

 Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet refers him as ‘he’.
 Metaphor: Tiger’s paws are compared with velvet (pads of velvet)
 Enjambment: Sentence is continuing to next line without any punctuation
mark.
 Imagery: poet tries to create an image about the tiger (He stalks in his vivid
stripes The few steps of his cage)
 Consonance: use of ‘s’ sound (stalks, his, stripes)
 Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘I’ (in his vivid stripes)
 Oxymoron: use of adjectives opposite in meaning (quiet rage)
 Enjambment: Line continues to next line without punctuation marks. (Sliding
through….deer pass)
 Alliteration: use of sound ‘p’ at the start of two words (plump pass)
 Imagery: The poet has tries to create an image of tiger’s activities (lurking in
shadow).

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 Enjambment: Line continues to next line without punctuation marks (He

should be snarling around houses At the jungle’s edge,)
 Onomatopoeia: using words which denote sound (snarling)
 Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ and ‘I’ (should, around, houses), (Baring,
his, white, his)
 Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (his, fangs, his, claws)
 Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet refers him as ‘he’.
 Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ (he, locked, concrete, cell)
 Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (his, strength, bars)
 Alliteration: use of sound ‘b’ at the start of two words (behind bars)
 Enjambment: Line three continues to line four without any punctuation mark.
(And stares with his brilliant eyes At the brilliant stars.)
 Alliteration: use of sound ‘h’ in the starting of two words (he hears)
 Assonance: use of ‘I’ sound (with, his, brilliant)
 Rhyme Scheme: ABCB

POEM 4: HOW TO TELL WILD ANIMALS

 Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (and if there…..tawny
beast)
 Inversion: Change in the format of a sentence (if there should to you advance)
 Assonance: use of vowel sound ’o’ (you should go, should to you, roars,)
 Allusion: Reference to a famous thing, place, species of animal, etc (Asian Lion)
 Alliteration: repetition of consonant sound ‘r’ at start of two or more closely
connected words (roaming round)
 Inversion: Change in the format of a sentence (The Bengal Tiger to discern)
 Allusion: Reference to a famous thing, place, species of animal, etc (Bengal
Tiger)
 Assonance: Use of vowel sound ’o’ (or if some time when roaming round)
 Alliteration: use of consonant sound ‘h’ in the beginning of two words (he has)

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 Poetic license: A liberty to the poet to change the spellings in order to create
rhyme or rhythm in a poem (use of lept instead of leapt)
 Repetition: use of ‘lep’ word in the last line.
 Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (strolling-forth-you, whose-spot, do no
good to roar)
 Consonance: use of ‘l’ sound (he’ll only leplep)
 Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (if you were
walking….creature there)
 Alliteration: use of ‘w’ sound (when-walking), use of ‘h’ sound (who- hugs),
use of ‘b’ sound (be-bear)
 Assonance: use of vowel ‘e’ (meet a creature there)
 Alliteration: use of consonant sound ‘n’ (novice-nonplus), use of ‘th’ sound
(the-thus)
 Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (though to
distinguish….might nonplus, The crocodile…..hyena thus)
 Alliteration: use of ‘h’ sound (he hasn’t)
 Consonance: use of ‘g’ sound (single wing)
 Rhyme Scheme: ABABCC

POEM 5: THE BALL POEM

 Anaphora: use of repeated words in two or more lines (What is the boy… what,
what and merrily bouncing… merrily over)
 Assonance: repeated use of vowel ‘o’ (boy, now, who, lost)
 Imagery: when poet says merrily bouncing down the street
 Repetition: ‘what’ is repeated
 Repetition: use of word ‘ball’
 Asyndeton: no use of conjunction in a sentence (A dime, another ball, is
worthless)
 Alliteration: use of sound ‘b’ at the start of two consecutive words (buys a ball
back)

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 Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ (He is learning, well behind his desperate
eyes)
 Repetition: ‘ball’ word is repeated
 Rhyme scheme: There is no rhyme scheme followed in the poem.

POEM 6: AMANDA
 Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at start of two or more lines (don’t bite…
don’t hunch)
 Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (don’t hunch your shoulders)
 Metaphor: use of word emerald sea for green colour of sea being similar to the
colour of emrald
 Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’
 Imagery: drifting blissfully
 Alliteration: ‘Stop that slouching and sit up straight’ – ‘s’ sound is being
repeated at the start of closely placed words.
 Allusion: ‘mermaid’ is a well known imaginary creature.
 Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at start of two or more lines (did you
finish….did you tidy)
 Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (Thought, told, you, your, shoes)
 Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’
 Metaphor: silence is golden – silence is said to be glorious like golden colour
 freedom is sweet – freedom is said to be sweet in taste.
 Allusion: use of famous fairy tale character Rapunzel
 Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ and ‘o’ (Will you please look at me when
I’m speaking to you
 Consonance: use of sound ‘r’ (I am Rapunzel; I have not a care …..Bright hair)
 Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’
 Alliteration: ‘Stop that sulking’ – ‘s’ sound is repeated at the start of closely
placed words
 Rhyme Scheme: AABA CCCAADAEEEAAFAGGGAAHA

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POEM 7: ANIMALS
 Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘I’ (I, think, I, live, with, animals)
 Repetition: use of the word ‘long’
 Anaphora: ‘I’ word used at the start of two consecutive lines
 Metaphor: The inner qualities of humans are referred to as tokens
o I wonder where they get those tokens,
o Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?
 Rhyme Scheme: There is no rhyme scheme followed in the poem.

POEM 8: TREES
 Personification: Sun bury it’s feet. Sun has been personified.
 Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (the forest that
was…… trees by morning).
 Anaphora: 2 lines begin with ‘no’
 Imagery: “The trees inside are moving out into the forest” – shows kinestatic
imagery
 Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (the leaves strain…….
Half dazed)
 Simile: trees compared to patients (like newly discharged patients)
 Personification: twigs and boughs have been personified.
 Alliteration: ‘long letters’ forest from’ ‘sky still’ ‘leaves and lichen’
 Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (doors open….the
house)
 Imagery: the poet has tried to create a scene in which she is observing all the
things happening (the night is fresh……into the rooms)
 Simile: The moon is compared to a mirror (Moon is broken like a mirror)

POEM 9: FOG

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 Metaphor: Fog is compared to cat (On little cat feet)

 Enjambment: When a sentence continues to next line (It sits looking….. then
moves on)
 Personification: fog has been personified – Fog comes, it sits
 Rhyme scheme: There is no rhyme scheme followed. Poem is in free verse

POEM 10: THE TALE OF CUSTARD THE DRAGON

 Repetition: use of the word ‘little’
 Oxymoron: use of two words with opposite meanings ‘ “pet dragon”
 Anaphora: repeated use of word at the start of two consecutive lines. (And a
little ….And a realio)
 Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,)
 Poetic license: realio, trulio for real, true. The spellings have been changed to
create a musical effect
 Simile: dog compared to mustard “And the little yellow dog was sharp as
Mustard”
 Alliteration: “coward, and she called him Custard” – “c” sound
 Anaphora: repeated use of word at the start of two consecutive lines (And the
little grey…And the little yellow)
 Repetition: use of word little
 Simile: Dragon’s mouth is compared with fireplace (mouth like a fireplace)
 Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,)
 Metaphor: “chimney for a nose”. The nose is like a chimney.
 Alliteration: Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears “b” sound is repeated
 Simile: Belinda’s bravery is compared to that of a barrel full of bears (as a barrel
full of bears), Mustard’s bravery is compared to that of an angry tiger (Mustard
was as brave as a tiger in a rage)
 Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘a’ (Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of
bears)
 Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,)

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 Repetition: use of the word ‘tickled him’

 Allusion: reference to any person or place (Percival)
 Personification: Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival
 Onomatopoeia: usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (giggled,
weeck)
 Repetition: Custard cried for a nice safe cage
 Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (Suddenly, suddenly they heard a
nasty sound)
 Onomatopoeia: usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (Mustard
growled, Meowch, cried ink)
 Poetic license: window is written as ‘winda’ to create rhyme.
 Alliteration: beard was black “b”, he held his “h”
 Imagery: An image is created about the appearance of the pirate.
 Transferred epithet: terrified yelp
 Repetition: help help
 Poetic license: use of the word mousehold to rhyme with household
 Simile: sound of dragon is compared with sound of engine (snorting like an
engine), Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon, dragon’s attack on pirate is
compared to robin bird (like a robin at a worm)
 Onomatopoeia: usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (clatter, clank,
jangling)
 Imagery: The attack by the dragon is expressed in a way to make an image in
our minds.
 Alliteration: gulped some grog “g”
 Imagery: They have shown the reaction and actions made by the pirate on
seeing the dragon.
 Alliteration: glee did gyrate “g”
 Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (no one mourned for), use of vowel sound
‘I’ (ink and blink in glee did), use of vowel sound ‘a’ (that ate the pirate)
 Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio)

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 Repetition: stanza has been repeated

 Rhyme scheme: AABB

POEM 11: FOR ANNE GREGORY

 Metaphor: honey-coloured Ramparts at your ear (Anne’s hair is compared to
the ramparts of a fort)
 Alliteration: repetition of consonant ‘s’ sound at the start of two consecutive
words. (Set Such)
 Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at the beginning of two lines (That
he….That only god)
 Alliteration: he had, your yellow
 Rhyme Scheme: ABCBDB

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