- Imagery: Sandburg employs vivid imagery throughout the poem to create a sensory experience for the reader. He uses colors, textures, and sounds to paint a picture of a world in transition. For example, the repeated use of the color "yellow" symbolizes the fading of life and the approach of death.
- Metaphor: Sandburg uses metaphor to compare the fleeting nature of life to the burning of a candle, creating a powerful visual representation of the passage of time.
- Personification: Sandburg personifies the wind and the leaves, giving them human qualities and actions. This technique adds a sense of vitality and movement to the poem, while also highlighting the interconnectedness of nature and the human experience.
- Alliteration: Sandburg employs alliteration, the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, to create a sense of rhythm and musicality in the poem. For example, the lines "The yellow flame/ Flickers in the socket" use the repetition of the "f" sound to create a sense of urgency and movement.
- Symbolism: The poem is rich in symbolism, with colors, objects, and actions taking on deeper meanings. The "yellow flame" represents life and the soul, the "socket" symbolizes the body or the container of life, and the "wind" represents the forces of time and change.
- Contrast: Sandburg creates contrast by juxtaposing images of life and decay, light and darkness, and warmth and coldness. This contrast emphasizes the dualities of existence and the tension between the desire for permanence and the inevitability of change.
Overall, Sandburg's use of literary elements in "Theme in Yellow" enhances the poem's impact and adds depth to its exploration of the themes of life, transience, and the human condition.