I. Sound Devices: These techniques focus on the musicality of the poem.
* Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words (e.g., "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers").
* Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds within words (e.g., "Go slow over the road").
* Consonance: Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words (e.g., "pitter patter," "a lonely, chilly day").
* Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate sounds (e.g., "buzz," "hiss," "bang").
* Rhyme: Repetition of similar sounds, typically at the end of lines (e.g., "cat" and "hat"). This includes various types like:
* Perfect rhyme: Identical vowel and consonant sounds (e.g., "light" and "night").
* Slant rhyme (near rhyme, half rhyme): Similar, but not identical sounds (e.g., "worm" and "swarm").
* Eye rhyme: Words that look like they should rhyme but don't (e.g., "love" and "move").
* Rhythm and Meter: The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line. Meter refers to a specific, established pattern (e.g., iambic pentameter).
II. Figurative Language: These techniques use words in a non-literal way to create imagery and meaning.
* Metaphor: A direct comparison between two unlike things (e.g., "The world is a stage").
* Simile: A comparison using "like" or "as" (e.g., "He's as strong as an ox").
* Personification: Giving human qualities to inanimate objects or animals (e.g., "The wind whispered secrets").
* Hyperbole: Exaggeration for effect (e.g., "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse").
* Understatement (Litotes): Deliberately downplaying something (e.g., "It's a bit chilly" during a blizzard).
* Synecdoche: Using a part to represent the whole or vice versa (e.g., "All hands on deck").
* Metonymy: Replacing a word with something closely associated with it (e.g., "The crown" to refer to the monarchy).
* Apostrophe: Addressing an absent person, thing, or abstract idea (e.g., "O, death, where is thy sting?").
* Irony: A contrast between expectation and reality. Includes various types like verbal irony, situational irony, and dramatic irony.
III. Structure and Form: These techniques relate to the organization and arrangement of the poem.
* Stanza: A group of lines forming a unit in a poem.
* Verse: A single line of poetry.
* Free verse: Poetry that doesn't follow a set rhyme scheme or meter.
* Blank verse: Unrhymed iambic pentameter.
* Sonnet: A 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme and meter (e.g., Shakespearean, Petrarchan).
* Haiku: A three-line poem with a specific syllable structure (5-7-5).
* Limerick: A five-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme (AABBA).
* Enjambment: The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next without punctuation.
* Caesura: A pause or break within a line of poetry.
IV. Other Techniques:
* Imagery: Vivid descriptive language that appeals to the senses.
* Symbolism: Using objects or images to represent abstract ideas.
* Allusion: A reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work of literature.
* Tone: The author's attitude toward the subject matter.
* Theme: The central idea or message of the poem.
This is not an exhaustive list, but it covers many of the common poetic techniques. Poets often combine several of these techniques to create complex and nuanced effects. The specific techniques used will vary depending on the poet, the style of poetry, and the intended effect.