Why use enjambment?  Enjambment is used for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is used to allow a free-flow of thoughts or perhaps an inability to hold back. This is seen in 'My Last Duchess', where the writer uses enjambment to show that the speaker's emotions are getting away with him and he is unable to hold back his thoughts. It can also be used to show a breakdown in the character, which can be seen in the line, "Then I’m home on leave. But I blink / and he bursts again through the doors of the bank..." from Remains. Here, this is used to show that the speaker is breaking emotionally as this not only breaks the line, but also breaks the stanza - he is slowly losing control. Finally, it might be a way of communicating a break in control, as seen in Kamikaze. There are many elements of control in that poem which mimic the oppressive rules and demands of the government and society, but the enjambment is used to convey how he is breaking away and making his own, independent choices. 

Why use caesura? Caesura is used to make the reader stop and think. This can be seen in at least two of our Power and Conflict poems cluster. Firsly, we see it in this line from The Emigree, "It may by now be a lie, banned by the state / but I can’t get it off my tongue. It tastes of sunlight..." This makes us stop and think about how this country has remained with her - stuck in her memory - no matter what. We can also see this in War Photographer in the line, "Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh." where the caesura is used here to force use to stop and think about these places where conflict has happened, but which has largely been forgotten or glossed-over. 

Why use rhyme scheme? The pattern of the rhyme largely dictates how we respond to the text and what effect is intended. Often, the rhyme is intended to give a certain tone or mood to a poem, or used to draw attention to a particular idea. For example, in 'Checking Out Me History', we see a repeated rhyme: "Dem tell me bout de man who discover de balloon / and de cow who jump over de moon / Dem tell me bout de dish ran away with de spoon / but dem never tell me bout Nanny de Maroon...". This repeated rhyme is used to give a whimsical, almost childish tone to the work to suggest that the way we approach history is like a happily-ever-after children's story (fictitious and ridiculous). It also uses rhyme to call attention to the important figure of the poem: "Nanny de Maroon", to make readers focus on her.

Why use free verse? As previously mentioned, free verse can be used to emphasise a speaker's freedom, or attempt to break away from the rules and restrictions imposed by society. We see this in the poems 'Kamikaze' and 'Checking Out Me History', where both speakers are fighting against the expectations of their societies. It can also make the work feel more like a story or narrative, which allows readers to get more immersed in the events (or moment described) than to get caught up decoding metaphorical language. 

Why use a rhyming couplet? Rhyming couplets can help speed up the pace of the reading of the poem and give it an almost lyrical quality as you are reading it. This can give it a lighter tone, but also potentially makes it easier to understand. Couplets can also be used to ephasise the significance of a particular idea. For example, in 'Checking Out Me History', "But now I checking out me own history / I carving out me identity" is used to express how identity and history are linked, suggesting that knowing where you come from helps define who you are now. 

Why use a quatrain? A quatrain is often used to group one complete thought together, much like a paragraph does. However, this isn't just limited to four lines. It can be a complete thought with any amount of lines. The repeated use of this structure is where the significance shines, and where consideration should be placed. In the poem 'Remains', we see that the stanzas are all formatted into quatrains. Repeated use of the same number of lines is often used to convey a restriction or control on the speaker. In this poem, the speaker is desperately trying to keep control of his emotions in the middle of a traumatic flashback. We ultimately understand this control fails through the use of enjambment. 

Why use assonance? Assonance works much like alliteration or sibilance. The use of it can either mimic a sound or call attention to a particular idea and emphasise the message conveyed by the author. This can be seen in Exposure, where Owen uses a repeated 'o' sound in the words, "grow", "soaks", "know", and "stormy", 'The poignant misery of dawn begins to grow . . . / We only know war lasts, rain soaks, and clouds sag stormy...". This calls attention to the lament of the men serving in these conditions (think of someone groaning pitifully). 

Why use consonance? Consonance is a repeated consonant sound in words, and includes alliteration, sibilance, and some rhyme. We can see an example of consonance in a line from Bayonet charge, "His terror’s touchy dynamite...". Here the "t" sounds emphasises the adrenaline rush and almost animal-like reactions (Think of a cat that is prepared to fight or flee). 

Why use sonnet form? Sonnets are typically associated with love, therefore the sonnet form usually conveys some type of love or Romanticist themes. For example, the poem 'Ozymandias' is written in a combination of sonnet types to convey the self-love that the king expresses. This helps us to look critically at how self-absorbed he is and how ironic that is considering nothing is left of his great kingdom.