Explanation

Simile compares using “like” or “as”: “brave as a lion.” Metaphor states one thing is another: “life is a journey.” Personification gives human qualities to non-human things: “the wind whispered.”

Alliteration repeats initial consonant sounds: “Peter Piper picked.” Assonance repeats vowel sounds. Onomatopoeia uses words that sound like their meaning: buzz, crash, sizzle.

These devices create imagery, rhythm, and emotional impact. Poets choose words carefully for both meaning and sound. Identifying devices helps understand how poems achieve their effects.