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Introduction to Poetry | | |
 Techniques
Noon and a hazy heat;
a single silver sliver and a dull drone;
the gloved finger poised, pressed:
a second's silence and
oblivion.
Though this is a very short poem a number of poetic techniques are used.
Alliteration
In this technique, successive words in a piece of writing begin with the same sound and there a number
of examples of this in the
poem from 'hazy heat' in the first line onwards. Alliteration can be either assonance where repeated
initial vowel sounds are used or
consonance where repeated consonant sounds are used as in this poem. Well known examples of this can
be found in tongue-twisters such as 'round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran'.
Enjambment
This is when the unit of sense of a line deliberately runs over into the next line creating a slight
pause in the reading and therefore a
sense of expectancy. The final two lines of the poem provide an excellent example of this and the emphasis
falls squarely on the single
word 'oblivion' in the final line.
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