This document discusses various poetic devices used in the poem "The River". It describes devices such as metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia, simile, rhyme, symbols, and imagery. Key metaphors discussed are the river as a wanderer, winder, hoarder, baby, and monster. Examples of personification portray the river as making choices, movements, and emotions. Rhyme and contrasting ideas are also examined in the analysis of this poem.

1. THE RIVER
Poetic Devices

2. SOME OF THE POETIC DEVICES
• Literary meaning VS Figurative meaning
• Rhyme , Rhythm , Free Verse
• Mood , Tone
• Repetition, Assonance, Aliteration ,
Onomatopoeia
• Imagery, Symbol
• Simile, Metaphor , Personification
• Theme, Moral Values

3. METAPHOR
a figure of speech
comparing two things but
without using ‘like’ or ‘as’

4. The river’s a wanderer –
Rivers are always on the go.
(A nomad, a tramp)

5. The river’s a winder –
Rivers meander as they
flow.

6. The river’s a hoarder–
Rivers pick up substances
as they go along

7. The river’s a baby–
Rivers makes baby-like
sounds

8. The river’s a singer–
The sound of a river is like a
song

9. The river’s a monster–
Rivers can destroy

10. ONOMATOPOEIA
a sound a thing
makes

11. 1. Hums
2. Gurgles
3. Sucking
4. Gobbled
5. Swallow

12. PERSONIFICATION
gives human
qualities to
things

13. Personification
• He doesn’t choose – takes on the
1 human ability to make choices
• He twists and he turns – makes
2 human-like movements
• He just cannot be still- is depicted
3 as a restless person

14. Personification (continued…)
• And he buries down deep – like a
4 human has a will of its own so
decides to bury treasure
• That he wants to keep – has the
5 human ability to choose
• He gurgles and hums – is like a
6 baby

15. Personification (continued…)
• … he’s happily is given the
human emotion of happiness
• Sucking his thumbs – takes
on human features

16. Personification (continued…)
• As he dances along – like
humans can dance
• He’s gobbled up trees – can
10 eat and swallow like humans

17. SIMILE
compares two
things or persons
using the words
‘like’ or ‘as;

18. SIMILE
• And sounds like
he’s happily
sucking his
thumbs
• The river is like
a baby happily
sucking his
thumbs

19. CONTRAST
Showing two
opposite ideas

20. Contrast
The idea of the River
being a ‘baby’ that
gurgles and hums is
contrasted to the River
that is hungry and vexed

21. Contrast
The idea of the River
sucking his thumbs is
contrasted to the River
being a monster that
gobbles and swallows
trees

22. RHYME
have the same ending
sounds and maybe
spelled differently

23. RHYME
1st Word 2nd Word
tramp camp
hill still
RHYMES
deep keep
WITH
hums thumbs
along song
vexed next

24. SYMBOLS
a thing that stands for
something else

25. SYMBOLS
Wanderer Hoarder
• symbol of • symbol of hiding
lack of or keeping
stability something else

26. SYMBOLS
Baby Monster
• symbol of •symbol of
innocent destruction

27. VISUAL IMAGES
an image that appeals
to the sense of sight

28. The River that twists and
turns

29. The little treasures that are
buried deep in the river bed

30. The baby that sucks his
thumbs

31. The singer that dances as
he sings

32. The monster that gobbles
trees and swallows human
beings

33. THE RIVER
POETIC DEVICES
THE END