Compare and contrast between the two poems - "Heart of the tree" and " Throwing a tree."
Answers
The poem The Heart of the Tree is full of poetic devices. Here is a list of what I have found out so far.
Alliteration
The poet has deployed alliteration in many places to add to the rhythm of the poem. Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning or stressed syllables of words. Some examples are:
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants a home to heaven anigh;
In hushed and happy twilight heard —
The treble of heaven’s harmony —
Personification
The poet personifies the tree when he calls it ‘a friend of sun and sky’.
Metaphor
Metaphor is an implied comparison between two different things where there is a point of similarity.
“the flag of breezes free” and “the shaft of beauty towering high” are examples of metaphors in the poem. Here the leafy branches of a tree are compared to a flag and the stem is compared to a beautiful shaft standing high.
Circumlocution
In a circumlocution something is referred to in a roundabout way, using different words rather than stating it directly.
Using “days to be” for “future” and “unborn eyes” for “next generations” are examples of circumlocution in the poem.