Poetic Devices
Understanding poetic devices is vital to decoding poetry and to finding a poem's meaning and purpose. You have already worked with several of these devices in this module, but take a moment to refresh your memory of the most important ones. In this interactivity, click on each of the spinning dots to review poetic devices. Click the player button to begin.
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One major theme of Romanticism is escape from the corruption of city life to the purity of the country. This idea coincided with manifest destiny, or westward expansion. After the Revolutionary War ended, Americans sought new opportunity and exploration of the vast land they had just won. As cities became more established, many people left the corruption of the city for a simpler, more vital existence in rural settings. These attitudes were reflected in the poetry and many of the nonfiction essays. The poetry of Romanticism uses imagery from nature to teach lessons about life.
Thomas Arp, editor for Perrine's Sound and Sense, states, "Poetry is the non-painter's canvas. People who love words can paint with them to create their portrait." Just as the artist uses shapes, images, and shadowing to convey an image, the poet uses words and literary devices to express himself. A poem can convey an emotion or feeling, or it can be a narrative that tells a story. The meaning can be grand or humble depending on the purpose the author intends.
As you read the poetry of the Fireside Poets and Whitman, use the following points to make understanding the poems easier.
Analyzing Poetry
Follow these steps in reading a poem and figuring out its meaning:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Use the points above to analyze and examine a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of the Fireside Poets. His poetry was translated into two dozen languages and read by millions. He was a professor at Bowdoin College and Harvard University where he translated and taught poetry, sometimes even writing his own textbooks. Longfellow was criticized for writing optimistic, sentimental poetry, but it was this tone that made his poetry so popular. His poetry soothed and encouraged readers, and this popularity made him one of the most beloved poets of his time.
Access and read Longfellow's "The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls," a poem which is beautiful in its rhythm and serene treatment of life and nature.
As you read the poem, use the eight steps to reading and understanding poetry from this lesson to analyze the poem. Keep in mind all of the elements of poetry that you have reviewed in this topic, such as poetic sound devices and personification.
This poem contains many examples of language and sound devices, but it is more than just the sum of its technical and literary elements. This poem exemplifies the themes and characteristics of Romanticism. "The Tide Rise, the Tide Falls" is about nature and how nature and life go on despite the mortality of humans. In this poem, Longfellow expresses the rising and falling of the tides in the repetition of that line and also in the sound of the words. Say it out loud: the tide rises, the tide falls. That line is used to mimic the action of tides while a traveler arrives in town and dies. The struggle of life is played out in this poem with all of the beautiful images and sounds created by the poet's words.
Look at the analysis of the poem below. Did you find similar devices and themes when you analyzed the poem?
Steps to Reading and Understanding Poetry: "The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls"
Take a moment to analyze the poetic devices that Longfellow uses in his poem "The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls." This poem is an extended metaphor in that the entire poem talks about tides in comparison with life and death. In this interactivity, click on each of the tabs to examine the many poetic devices in Longfellow's poem. Click on the player button to begin.
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The Fireside Poets
Certainly the fact that these men were contemporaries of each other influenced their tones. They also closely copied popular European Romantic poets. Though not vastly unique, they represented the first generation of internationally recognized American poets. It was a time when families sat around their parlors in the evening reading poems, when the public debated poetry in salons and coffee shops, and when school children memorized entire poems. These men were the literary masters of their day.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Oliver Wendell Holmes was a descendant of a 17th century poet, Anne Bradstreet, and the father of a U.S. Supreme Court justice, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. He was a medical doctor by profession and taught medicine at Harvard University. While teaching, he wrote poetry and co-founded The Atlantic Monthly, a literary magazine that is still hugely popular and now mainly prints liberal nonfiction pieces. Holmes is renowned for his use of exaggeration, vivid turns of phrase, and memorable statements.
Access and the read the poem "Old Ironsides." Holmes wrote this poem to pay homage to the ship USS Constitution and the role it played in the War of 1812.
As you read the poem, think about what made it popular and how it is typical of Romantic era poetry.
James Russell Lowell
James Russell Lowell has been considered the most talented of the group, but due to personal tragedies (such as the deaths of his wife and three of his children), he only published four major collections in the 1840s. Later in life, he wrote editorials supporting abolition and co-founded The Atlantic Monthly.
Access and read the poem "The First Snowfall." Lowell's poem was inspired by the death of one of his children. Its imagery of a silent, wintery scene represents the bleakness a father feels when he loses a child.
As you read the poem, think about what made it popular and how it is typical of Romantic era poetry.
John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier most represents the American Dream of any of the four poets. He was a Quaker who grew up poor on a farm in Massachusetts, but he involved himself in politics from a young age. Whittier was elected to the Massachusetts State Legislature in 1835. He also spent a quarter of a century working for the abolition of slavery. Whittier did not fully focus on his poetry until the end of the Civil War, reaching the height of his literary career in the late 1860s.
Access and read the poem "Snow-Bound: A Winter Idyll." Whittier's poem is a narrative about a family in a New England farmhouse. Although a blizzard outside has them restricted to their home, they relish the coziness of the winter evenings together.
As you read the poem, think about what made it popular and how it is typical of Romantic era poetry.
Walt Whitman
Perhaps one of the most prolific poets of the time, Walt Whitman became the voice of a burgeoning nation with poetry that was as direct, unique, and imbued with patriotism as was the country that produced him. Born on Long Island in 1819, Whitman grew up in the 19th century boomtown atmosphere of Brooklyn where he held a number of jobs including office clerk, printer, schoolteacher, and reporter. After a while, Whitman uprooted himself to travel across the new country, quietly observing and putting together a collection of poems that would later have a tremendous influence and lasting effect on American literature.
In 1855, Whitman paid for the publication of his masterpiece, Leaves of Grass. While its initial publication received very little notice by the public, Whitman was undeterred. Leaves of Grass would eventually earn high praise and undergo nine different expansions and editions, ending only with his death in 1891.
Access and read the poems "I Hear America Singing" and "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" by Walt Whitman. Both of these poems were published in the collection Leaves of Grass.
As you read the poems, think about what characteristics of Romanticism stand out right away. Why do you think his poetry was popular during his time?
Poetic Devices Review
Now that you have explored poetic devices used in Romantic poetry, review your knowledge in this non-graded activity. Read each definition and use the drop-down menu to select the poetic device that matches the definition. Click on the player button to get started.