Poetic Devices Terms
Giving human characteristics to something non-human
Personification
Read this example of a Poetic device in Beowulf: "A breach in the giant flesh-frame showed then, shoulder-muscles sprang apart" What poetic device is being utilized with "flesh-frame"?
Kenning ("flesh-frame" is a kenning for body)
Courageous warrior of The Geats who defeats Grendel and Grendel's mother
Beowulf
What does Beowulf use to kill Grendel?
His bare hands
What language is Beowulf written in?
Old English
A metaphor that uses like or as
Simile
Read this example from Shakespeare's Sonnet 30: "When to the sessions of sweet silent thought / I summon up remembrance of things past." The repetition in "sweet," "silent" and "summon" uses which poetic device?
Alliteration (The "s" sound is repeated)
Wise, kind, King of the Danes
Hrothgar
The name of The Danish Mead Hall
Heorot
The author of Beowulf
Unknown
When beginning sounds of nearby words are the same
Alliteration
Read this example from Emily Dickinson's poem: "Because I could not stop for Death – He kindly stopped for me." Which poetic device is primarily utilized in the example?
Personification (Death is being described as a person)
The people that Beowulf eventually becomes king of
The Geats
What does Beowulf use to kill Grendel's mother?
A Giant sword
The word that Beowulf's people use to describe fate
Weird
A compound word metaphor
Kenning
In Shakespeare's play called As You Like It, he says "All the world's a stage." Which poetic device would this be an example of?
Metaphor (The world is compared to a stage)
Hrothgar's Wife's name *DAILY DOUBLE!!!*
Wealtheow
The stolen item that first starts the dragon's reign of terror
A cup
What genre is Beowulf?
An epic poem/Epic Poetry
A description that says one thing is another thing to show that they are similar
Metaphor
Read this line from Emily Dickinson's poem:
“Hope" is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul
What poetic device is primarily seen in this example?
A Dane who is at first jealous of Beowulf, but he later gifts Beowulf a sword
Unferth
The name of the sword that Unferth gives to Beowulf
Hrunting
The oldest story known to be written
The Epic of Gilgamesh