Poetic Devices

Rhetorical Question

The entire poem is shaped around questions the speaker asks himself without expecting a real answer. The opening lines "When did my childhood go?" and, in the last stanza, "Where did my childhood go?" are rhetorical questions that carry the poem's mood of wondering and regret.

Refrain

The line "When did my childhood go?" is repeated at the start of the first three stanzas, and the exclamation "Was that the day!" closes each of them. This repeated refrain gives the poem its rhythm and keeps returning the reader to the poet's central search.

Anaphora

The repeated beginnings "Was it the day...", "Was it the time..." and "Was it when..." at the start of successive answers are examples of anaphora — the repetition of the same words at the start of lines, which builds a steady, insistent tone.

Rhyme

The poem uses rhyme to bind its lines, for example "eleven" with "Heaven" in the first stanza, and "place" with "face" in the last. These rhymes add music to the reflective lines.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same opening consonant sound appears in phrases such as "Hell and Heaven" and "preached of love," which makes the lines pleasing to the ear.

Metaphor …