AP English Literature and Composition · Exam guide
AP English Literature Poetic Devices and Their Effects: From Naming to Interpreting
On the poetry essay, a list of devices earns little. Points come from explaining what a choice does to the poem's meaning. This guide gives you a table of devices with their typical effects, then walks through a short method and a worked example.
Devices and what they can do
| Device | What it is | What it can do |
|---|---|---|
| Enjambment | A sentence runs over a line break. | Creates momentum, or leaves a thought hanging for a moment. |
| Caesura | A pause inside a line. | Slows the pace or marks a hesitation. |
| Repetition | A word or line returns. | Builds emphasis, or suggests obsession or weariness. |
| Meter | The pattern of stresses in a line. | Sets a rhythm that the poem can follow or break. |
| Rhyme scheme | The pattern of line endings. | Links ideas, or creates a sense of closure when it completes. |
| Volta | A turn in thought or tone. | Marks a change in the speaker's attitude. |
| Imagery | Language that appeals to the senses. | Creates a mood and ties emotion to a scene. |
| Apostrophe | Speaking to an absent person or thing. | Reveals the speaker's need to address what cannot answer. |
A three-step method
- Quote a specific line or phrase.
- Name what the poet does in plain terms, using the term only if it helps.
- Explain the effect on meaning, tone or the speaker's situation.
A worked reading (Frost)
In "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening", each stanza after the first has the rhyme scheme of a chain: the unrhymed third line of one stanza sets the rhyme of the next. The last stanza has four lines that rhyme together: "deep", "keep", "sleep", "sleep".
It names two techniques and stops.
It describes how the pattern works and what it does to the poem's meaning.
Reading the whole poem
- Look at the title, and ask what it promises.
- Mark where the tone changes.
- Read the last lines as a response to the first lines.
- Write about the whole poem in your essay, not only the opening.
Common mistakes
- Listing devices without explaining them.
- Saying a device "adds depth" without saying how.
- Ignoring the poem's shifts.
- Reading the poem as a puzzle with one right answer.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know every poetic term?
No. A plain description of what the poet does and what it accomplishes is acceptable.
Should I analyze rhyme and meter?
When they matter to meaning. Explain what they do rather than only identifying them.
What if I do not understand the poem?
Describe what you can see, the speaker's situation and any changes, and build an interpretation from the details.
How long is the poem on the exam?
Typically about 100 to 400 words.
Where can I find the official scoring rules?
Exam formats change a little from year to year, so check the current course and exam description on the College Board site before test day.
Keep practicing
The AP English Literature course has five practice prompts for each of the three essay types, with a timed writing space that scores your response against the official 6-point analytic rubric. These free lessons also build the skills the free-response section tests:
- Free lesson 1.5: literal and figurative, one detail two ways
- Free lesson 1.4: the narrator and point of view
See the AP English Literature and Composition course Free lessons and lesson list
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- AP English Literature Poetry Analysis Essay Explained: How to Earn the 6 Points
- AP English Literature Prose Analysis Essay Explained: How to Earn the 6 Points
- AP English Literature Literary Argument Essay Explained: How to Earn the 6 Points
- AP English Literature Thesis Statements Explained: Earning the Thesis Point on Poetry, Prose and Literary Argument
- AP English Literature Evidence and Commentary Explained: Earning the Four Points in Row B
- AP English Literature Sophistication Point Explained: Tensions, Shifts and Complexity
- AP English Literature Prose Techniques: Narration, Diction, Syntax and Shifts
- AP English Literature Open Essay: How to Choose and Prepare Works You Can Write About
Multiple choice
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