A prompt—executive Bird is the Jay

by Emily Dickinson

A prompt—executive Bird is the Jay—
Bold as a Bailiff's1 Hymn—
Brittle and Brief in quality—
Warrant2 in every line—

Sitting a Bough3 like a Brigadier4
Confident and straight—
Much is the mien5 of him in March
As a Magistrate6—

legal officer
legal action
branch of a tree
army officer (British)
appearance
judge

I Heard a Bird Sing

By Oliver Herford

I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.

"We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,”
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.

Read both poems.

What literary device is used throughout the poems?
Alliteration
Hyperbole
Pun
Metaphor