Apostrophe is a word and concept that comes from ancient Greek drama; it refers to a poet or speaker turning from the audience as a whole to address a single person or thing. "Death Sentences" is an example of apostrophe because the speaker addresses the entire poem to "Hamlet," her lover. Apostrophe is a useful poetic device because it immediately places the text into a particular context; it gives the language a specific function and reminds the reader that writing and speaking are means of communication between people.