Imagery and rhythm and rhyme

Here, we will discuss the imagery and rhythm and rhyme of the poem “Geriatric Ward” by Phoebe Hesketh.

Imagery

Generally, imagery, metaphors and other stylistic devices are employed to help the reader better visualise the poem, but also to enhance the general meaning of the text. In what follows, we will present some of the stylistic devices employed by Phoebe Hesketh in her poem, “Geriatric Ward:

Consonance

The repetition of the same consonant in adjacent words creates consonance. For instance, consonance can be noticed in the first stanza of the poem: “geriatric ward” or in the second stanza: “law-abiding as leaves” (l. 13). Also, the last stanza employs consonance: “dragged-out detention” (l. 24).

Similes

For the doctor, cells are “law-abiding as leaves” (l. 13). This simile suggests the fact that cells are meant to follow the natural course of life just like leaves follow the natural course of seasons: they wither and they eventually disappear.

Metaphors

Metaphors are probably the dominant figure of speech in the poem. One meta...