Stanzas and couplets are poetic techniques. Poets have many, many tricks up their sleeves. We analyse and categorise these tricks as poetic 'techniques' or 'devices'. Looking very closely at a poem and analysing the techniques the poet has used can help you appreciate exactly how a poem has an effect on its reader.

Always remember when writing about poetry that it is not enough to name the technique or device: you must also describe how the technique creates an effect.