Poetic Devices Worksheets & Activities | Figurative Language - Free Printable

Here is the completed Poetic Devices Worksheet 5 with answers and explanations for each question.

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**1. I'm growing fonder of my staff; / I'm growing dimmer in the eyes;

I'm growing fainter in my laugh; / I'm growing deeper in my sighs;**

Which techniques are being used?
✔ Repetition, Rhyme, Rhythm

How do you figure?
- Repetition: The phrase “I’m growing...” is repeated at the beginning of each line, creating a pattern that emphasizes the speaker’s gradual decline or aging.
- Rhyme: The lines end with words that rhyme: *staff/laugh* (slant rhyme), *eyes/sighs* (perfect rhyme). This creates a musical quality.
- Rhythm: Each line has a similar meter (roughly iambic), giving the stanza a steady, predictable beat that mirrors the repetitive structure.

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**2. Confound the cats! All cats--away-- / Cats of all colors, black, white, gray;

By night a nuisance and by day-- / Confound the cats! All cats, always.**

Which techniques are being used?
✔ Repetition, Rhyme, Alliteration

How do you figure?
- Repetition: The phrase “Confound the cats!” appears twice — at the beginning and end — reinforcing the speaker’s frustration. Also, “All cats” is repeated.
- Rhyme: “away” rhymes with “day,” and “gray” rhymes with “always” (slant rhyme). This adds musicality and cohesion.
- Alliteration: In “Cats of all colors, black, white, gray,” the repeated ‘c’ and ‘w’ sounds create alliterative effects (“cats,” “colors,” “white,” “gray” — note: “black” doesn’t alliterate, but “colors” and “cats” do).

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**3. I dreamed a dream next Tuesday week, / Beneath the apple-trees;

I thought my eyes were big pork-pies, / And my nose was Stilton cheese.**

Which techniques are being used?
✔ Rhyme, Onomatopoeia (debatable), Repetition (of “I...”), Consonance

How do you figure?
- Rhyme: “week” and “cheese” are slant rhymes; “trees” and “pies” are perfect rhymes. This gives the poem a playful, nursery-rhyme feel.
- Onomatopoeia: While not strongly present, “pork-pies” and “Stilton cheese” evoke sensory sounds or textures — this is a stretch, but sometimes whimsical food words are considered onomatopoeic in tone.
- Repetition: The subject “I” starts two lines, creating a personal, dreamy narrative voice.
- Consonance: The repeated ‘s’ sound in “eyes,” “pies,” “nose,” “was,” “Stilton,” “cheese” creates a soft, sibilant effect that enhances the dreamlike quality.

> ✔ *Note: Some might argue for “Alliteration” — e.g., “big pork-pies” — but it’s weak. Better to focus on Rhyme and Consonance.*

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**4. O Sea! whose ancient ripples lie on red-ribbed sands where seaweeds shone;

O moon! whose golden sickle's gone,**

Which techniques are being used?
✔ Alliteration, Consonance, Repetition, Rhyme

How do you figure?
- Alliteration: “red-ribbed sands,” “seaweeds shone,” “golden sickle’s gone” — all feature repeated initial consonant sounds (‘r’, ‘s’, ‘g’).
- Consonance: The repeated ‘s’ sound in “sands,” “seaweeds,” “shone,” “sickle’s” creates a hissing, oceanic sound.
- Repetition: “O Sea!” and “O moon!” begin each line — an apostrophe (addressing nature) and repetition for emphasis.
- Rhyme: “shone” and “gone” rhyme perfectly, linking the two images (sea and moon) together musically.

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**5. Across the moorlands of the Not / We chase the gruesome When;

And hunt the Itness of the What / Through forests of the Then.**

Which techniques are being used?
✔ Repetition, Rhyme, Rhythm, Alliteration

How do you figure?
- Repetition: The structure repeats “the [abstract noun] of the [abstract noun]” — “Not,” “When,” “What,” “Then.” This creates a philosophical, almost surreal rhythm.
- Rhyme: “Not” and “What” are slant rhymes; “When” and “Then” are perfect rhymes. This reinforces the poetic structure.
- Rhythm: Each line follows a similar iambic meter, making the lines flow with a steady beat despite their abstract content.
- Alliteration: “forests of the Then” — the ‘f’ and ‘t’ sounds echo slightly; “chase the gruesome When” has soft ‘ch’ and ‘w’ sounds. More subtly, “moorlands of the Not” has the ‘m’ and ‘n’ sounds repeating.

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## ✔ Final Answer Summary:

| Question | Poetic Devices Used |
|----------|----------------------|
| 1 | Repetition, Rhyme, Rhythm |
| 2 | Repetition, Rhyme, Alliteration |
| 3 | Rhyme, Consonance, Repetition |
| 4 | Alliteration, Consonance, Repetition, Rhyme |
| 5 | Repetition, Rhyme, Rhythm, Alliteration |

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