Poetry Hacks

What effect does it usually have? Enumeration makes quite simple sentence structures, long or short, which often speeds up the pace. What else should I look out for? The last item in the list tends to carry the most emphasis; enumeration can create a sense of building towards an emotional climax. Many poems begin with a description of setting involving the use of enumeration.

An example of how it works … ‘Stanzas Written in Dejection, near Naples’ by P. B. Shelley:

The sun is warm, the sky is clear, The waves are dancing fast and bright, Blue isles and snowy mountains wear The purple noon's transparent might, The breath of the moist earth is light, Around its unexpanded buds

Here the poet enumerates his various impressions of the Italian landscape to create a striking opening for this poem and establish a positive atmosphere, soon to be snatched away since the speaker lacks the 'hope' and 'health' needed to enjoy them.

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