Onomatopoeia is a figure of speech in which a word imitates the sound associated with an action or an object, effectively mimicking the sound it describes. Some examples of onomatopoeia are “buzz,” “whack,” “clang,” and “cock-a-doodle-doo.” This literary device is used in poetry to create an auditory effect that mirrors the thing being described, which makes the description more vivid. See “Piano” by D. H. Lawrence as an example.
Glossary of Poetic Terms
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