Mention and explain the effect of the poetic devices used in the poem.
The poetic devices used in the poem, “birches” Include alliteration, repetition, run-on lines etc. These devices shall be explained as follows:
Alliteration which is a figure of sound is effectively employed to boost the language of the poem. The alliterations such as: “birches bend”, “to think”, “boy’s been”, “them to”, “cracks…craze”, “soon…sun’s”, shed-shells”, “snow… such”, “heaven…has”, “to the” “bracken by’ make the poem to be musical.
Repetitions create emphasis so as to heighten the poetic effect, Examples of repetition include; “swinging”, “bend”, “them”, “think”, “ice”, “as the”, “then”, ’“right” -in the first and last stanzas as well as “themselves”.
Finally, there are few examples of personification to enhance the description of things mentioned: “birches bend” “they (birches) are dragged”, “they are bowed so low”. Here, bend, drag and bow are human attributes that have been ascribed to inanimate objects. Also, “the dome of heaven has fallen” is hyperbole that also heightens the language. All nail, the poem has run-on lines that sustain the flow of ideas from line to line, unto the stanzas. The poem is indeed highly descriptive and beautiful.