So for example for this poem:
Harlem by Langstone Hughes:
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
and then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load
Or does it just explode?
My question is how do poets utilize leterary devices and conventions to develop themes in their poetry? I am still having difficulty I am using this poem as an example so i can understand how to do the poem that I have to do. Which is longer than this one.
Poets use various literary devices and conventions to develop themes in their poetry. In the poem "Harlem" by Langston Hughes, we can observe the use of several of these devices to explore the theme of deferred dreams.
1. Metaphor: The poet employs metaphor throughout the poem, comparing a deferred dream to different images. For example, the line "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" compares a deferred dream to a dehydrated raisin. This metaphorical comparison evokes a sense of withering and loss.
2. Simile: The poet also uses similes to further elaborate on the experience of a deferred dream. In the lines "Or fester like a sore-- and then run?" and "Does it stink like rotten meat?", the dream is compared to a sore and rotten meat, respectively. These similes vividly depict the negative consequences of delaying one's dreams.
3. Imagery: Imagery is utilized to create a vivid sensory experience for the reader. In the line "Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet?", the reader can envision a hardened and saccharine coating forming over the deferred dream. This image emphasizes the potential for an outer appearance of sweetness while masking the underlying dissatisfaction.
4. Repetition: Throughout the poem, the question "What happens to a dream deferred?" is repeated. This repetition reinforces the central theme and allows the reader to reflect on the various possibilities and consequences of deferring dreams.
5. Symbolism: The poem's final line, "Or does it just explode?", introduces an image of explosive release, alluding to the potentially violent or destructive outcomes of denying or suppressing dreams. This symbol represents the intensity and significance of unfulfilled aspirations.
By employing these literary devices and conventions, poets can communicate complex themes and emotions in their work. To apply these techniques to your own poem, consider how you can use metaphor, simile, imagery, repetition, and symbolism to explore and develop the central theme of your own deferred dreams or any other topic you wish to explore.
Hughes is using vivid verbs (imagery) and making comparisons (in this case he's using similes) to make sure his ideas are clear and his theme understood.
Can you list the verbs he uses? Do you sense that he put them in any kind of order?
Can you name the comparisons he makes?
Think of a theme as a kind of hidden message. What do you think Hughes' hidden message is in this poem?
Here's a really good website to use when you want to understand literary terms: http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/lausd/resources/Literary.Terms.Menu.html
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so, for literary devices each first stanza uses simile the second stanza also uses simile and the last stanza uses metaphor.
the poem uses rime and imagery.
Yes, there are five similes and a metaphor in that poem.
And, yes, you're right -- he also uses rhyme.
What else do you see?
what does it mean when they ask about conventions? in the poem to make the theme?
what else am i suppost to be looking at that I am not seeing...
List the verbs in order. What do you "get" from that list?
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