Literary Devices
1. Heir or Air
The most striking literary device in this poem is the use of a pun. A pun refers to a word or phrase that has been used in an amusing way to convey meaning. They usually have the same sound but convey different meanings. In this poem, the word heir which also sounds like airshows the poet’s ingenuity in playing with words. By using this word, the poet reminds us that by using modern inventions such as air conditioners, we are leaving our heirs, the future generation, a world that will be plagued with environmental problems.
2. Life’s Irony
The poem shows us an example of life’s irony. We wish that the modern inventions mentioned in the poem such as fans, air conditioners, faxes, and telephones would make life easy. However, modern inventions have also brought with it new problems such as stress, traffic jams and pollution.
3. Contrast
Contrast in this poem refers to showing the differences between ideas, situations and people of different generations. The poet makes a comparison between the past and present. The first contrast is in Man’s beliefs. The poet points out that our forefathers feared God and nature. In contrast, the younger generation has turned things around so much that now µnature fears you and money is your new god.
The second contrast is with regards to basic necessities. In the past, our elders used simple things such as paper fans. Today, modern inventions, through considered basic necessities, have brought about many changes. More significant is the negative effects of these inventions on the environments such as µpollutions, stress, traffic jams, destruction of forests, stream and hills.
4. Alliteration
In this poem, there is at least one example of alliteration. Stanza 1 (Lines 5 / 6)
shows the consonant ‘f’ being mentioned three times. Example: Grandma weren’t you flustered as you fluttered with paper fans?
1. Heir or Air
The most striking literary device in this poem is the use of a pun. A pun refers to a word or phrase that has been used in an amusing way to convey meaning. They usually have the same sound but convey different meanings. In this poem, the word heir which also sounds like airshows the poet’s ingenuity in playing with words. By using this word, the poet reminds us that by using modern inventions such as air conditioners, we are leaving our heirs, the future generation, a world that will be plagued with environmental problems.
2. Life’s Irony
The poem shows us an example of life’s irony. We wish that the modern inventions mentioned in the poem such as fans, air conditioners, faxes, and telephones would make life easy. However, modern inventions have also brought with it new problems such as stress, traffic jams and pollution.
3. Contrast
Contrast in this poem refers to showing the differences between ideas, situations and people of different generations. The poet makes a comparison between the past and present. The first contrast is in Man’s beliefs. The poet points out that our forefathers feared God and nature. In contrast, the younger generation has turned things around so much that now µnature fears you and money is your new god.
The second contrast is with regards to basic necessities. In the past, our elders used simple things such as paper fans. Today, modern inventions, through considered basic necessities, have brought about many changes. More significant is the negative effects of these inventions on the environments such as µpollutions, stress, traffic jams, destruction of forests, stream and hills.
4. Alliteration
In this poem, there is at least one example of alliteration. Stanza 1 (Lines 5 / 6)
shows the consonant ‘f’ being mentioned three times. Example: Grandma weren’t you flustered as you fluttered with paper fans?
