Literary Techniques Poetry Analysis 2
Literary Techniques:
Poetry Analysis 2
Sound Devices and Rhythm,
Rhyme and Repetition
Sound Devices
A good poem can often be identified by its sound quality.
1. How do we evaluate sound quality?
Poets use certain devices to create sound within a poem. We need to analyze the poem to look out for these devices, indicate the sound produced and evaluate its effect on the reader.
2. What do poets use to create sound within a poem?
There are four main devices:
• Alliteration
• Assonance
• Consonance
• Onomatopoeia
3. Purpose of using sound devices
Like imagery, sound devices are often used for three main reasons:
• To complement or emphasize the message of the poem.
• To create a mood.
• To reveal the speaker’s attitude.
Alliteration refers to the repetition of initial consonants in words next to or close to each other to produce a rhythmic effect. Alliteration formed the basic structure of Old English poetry, although in modern poetry it usually supplements the use of other poetic devices. In the following example, the repetition of the ‘f’ sound in the first two lines lends them a rhythmic and musical quality:
The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free:
We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea.
From “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
S. T. Coleridge
Assonance refers to the repetition of vowels in words next to or close to each other, without regard for the following sounds. For example, “So we’ll go no more a-roving” is an assonance that repeats the
‘o’ vowel. It complements the attitude of the speaker: the ‘o’ sound produces a moaning effect as if the speaker longs to spend time with his lover. “Reed / wheel” is an example of assonance, but “reed / weed” as an example of rhyme.
Consonance refers to fixed consonant but changing vowel sounds. For example, ‘e/scaped’ and ‘scooped’, ‘groined’ and
‘groaned’, ‘be/stirred’ and ‘stared’.
Onomatopoeia is a sound device where the poet uses words to imitate real sound.
Poetry Analysis 2
Sound Devices and Rhythm,
Rhyme and Repetition
Sound Devices
A good poem can often be identified by its sound quality.
1. How do we evaluate sound quality?
Poets use certain devices to create sound within a poem. We need to analyze the poem to look out for these devices, indicate the sound produced and evaluate its effect on the reader.
2. What do poets use to create sound within a poem?
There are four main devices:
• Alliteration
• Assonance
• Consonance
• Onomatopoeia
3. Purpose of using sound devices
Like imagery, sound devices are often used for three main reasons:
• To complement or emphasize the message of the poem.
• To create a mood.
• To reveal the speaker’s attitude.
Alliteration refers to the repetition of initial consonants in words next to or close to each other to produce a rhythmic effect. Alliteration formed the basic structure of Old English poetry, although in modern poetry it usually supplements the use of other poetic devices. In the following example, the repetition of the ‘f’ sound in the first two lines lends them a rhythmic and musical quality:
The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free:
We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea.
From “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
S. T. Coleridge
Assonance refers to the repetition of vowels in words next to or close to each other, without regard for the following sounds. For example, “So we’ll go no more a-roving” is an assonance that repeats the
‘o’ vowel. It complements the attitude of the speaker: the ‘o’ sound produces a moaning effect as if the speaker longs to spend time with his lover. “Reed / wheel” is an example of assonance, but “reed / weed” as an example of rhyme.
Consonance refers to fixed consonant but changing vowel sounds. For example, ‘e/scaped’ and ‘scooped’, ‘groined’ and
‘groaned’, ‘be/stirred’ and ‘stared’.
Onomatopoeia is a sound device where the poet uses words to imitate real sound.