1. Personification: Kilmer gives the tree human-like qualities, making it seem more relatable and profound.
* "Trees are poems that the earth writes..." This line personifies the earth as a writer, giving the trees a literary quality.
* "The tree that makes a lonely sound..." This line personifies the tree as feeling lonely, making it seem like a sentient being.
2. Metaphor: Kilmer uses metaphors to compare the tree to other things, creating vivid imagery and deeper meaning.
* "Trees are poems that the earth writes..." This is a metaphor comparing trees to poems, highlighting their beauty and complexity.
* "A lonely sound" is a metaphor describing the wind whistling through the tree's branches, which suggests a sense of isolation.
3. Simile: While not as prevalent as personification or metaphor, Kilmer does use a simile in the poem:
* "...the tree that looks at God all day..." This simile compares the tree's upward growth to a gaze toward the heavens, implying reverence or aspiration.
4. Imagery: Kilmer uses vivid language to create imagery and evoke sensory experiences:
* "The tree that looks at God all day..." This line creates a visual image of the tree reaching upwards.
* "The tree that makes a lonely sound..." This line creates an auditory image of the wind rustling through the tree's leaves.
5. Symbolism: The tree itself becomes a symbol in the poem, representing various ideas:
* Nature's beauty and resilience: The tree stands tall and strong, even in the face of challenges like wind and storms.
* Spiritual connection: The tree's upward growth and the "lonely sound" it makes can be interpreted as symbolic of a connection to something beyond the physical world.
* Transience of life: While the tree may be strong, it is also subject to the forces of nature, suggesting the impermanence of all living things.
Overall: Kilmer uses various figures of speech to paint a beautiful and evocative portrait of trees, drawing attention to their aesthetic qualities and deeper symbolic meanings.