For Anne Gregory Poem Poetic Devices

Major Poetic (literary) devices used in the poem ‘For Anne Gregory’ are given here with a short explanation to give a befitting understanding in a shorter time.

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Poem: For Anne Gregory

“Never shall a young man,
Thrown into despair
By those great honey-coloured
Ramparts at your ear,
Love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”

“But I can get a hair-dye
And set such colour there,
Brown, or black, or carrot,
That young men in despair
May love me for myself alone
And not my yellow hair.”

“I heard an old religious man
But yesternight declare
That he had found a text to prove
That only God, my dear,
Could love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”

Poetic Devices

Rhyme Scheme 

The rhyme scheme of the poem is abcbdb. 

“But I can get a hair-dye a 

And set such colour there, b 

Brown, or black, or carrot, c 

That young men in despair b 

May love me for myself alone d 

Metaphor:

Definition: A metaphor is a literary device used to represent a comparison without using the words “like” or  “as”. 

• In the poem, the phrase ‘honey-coloured ramparts’ is an example of a metaphor.  Yeats, through the metaphor, compares Anne Gregory’s hair to the walls of a fort. 
• ‘Ramparts at your ear’. Just like the walls of a fort hide and protect the city, the hair hides the true self of Anne Gregory. 

Apostrophe 

An apostrophe is a rhetorical device in which a speaker or writer addresses an imaginary or absent person, object, or concept as if it were present and able to respond. In poetry, an apostrophe is often used to convey intense emotion or to give voice to an otherwise inanimate object or abstract idea.

• In this poem, Yeats is seen talking to Anne Gregory, but the readers don’t see her at any point in the poem. 
• The poet makes use of apostrophe to address the poem to Anne, an absent audience. 

Note:

some students raised doubts on this device. So here is some more of explanation on the use of this device.

There is a use of apostrophe as a poetic device in the poem. However, it’s important to note that the term “apostrophe” in poetry refers to a figure of speech in which the speaker addresses an absent or imaginary person, or an abstract idea, as if it were present and capable of responding.

In the poem, the speaker seems to be addressing someone directly, possibly a woman with yellow hair. The repeated lines “Love you for yourself alone And not your yellow hair” suggest a direct address to the person with the yellow hair. This can be considered a form of apostrophe, as the speaker is addressing the qualities of the person directly, in this case, the yellow hair.

So, while apostrophe is present in the poem, it is not in the form of the punctuation mark ‘ but rather in the form of a rhetorical device where the speaker is addressing someone or something directly.

Alliteration 

• Love you for yourself alone
• The phrase ‘your yellow hair’ is an example of alliteration. 
• Brown, or black

Repetition 

• The phrase ‘yellow hair’ has been repeated many times. By repeating this phrase, the poet is reinforcing the notion of external beauty. 
• The word ‘despair’ is also repeated in the poem. It reflects the young men’s feelings for Anne Gregory. 

Anaphora:

Definition: repeating a word or phrase at the beginning of sentences or clauses that follow each other, done for emphasis

In the 3rd stanza – the second and third line

That he had found a text to prove

That only God, my dear,

Enjambment:

Definition: lines in a stanza ending going or continuing without any punctuation

In the 2nd Stanza: the 4th and the 5th Line

That young men in despair

My love me for myself alone

In the 3rd Stanza: 1st, 2nd and the 3rd Line

‘I heard an old religious man

But yesternight declare

That he had found a text to prove