Poetic Sound Devices

Rhythm

a regular pattern of accented syllables

Hiawatha's Departurefrom The Song of Hiawathaby Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

By the shore of Gitchie Gumee, By the shining Big-Sea-Water, At the doorway of his wigwam, In the pleasant Summer morning, Hiawatha stood and waited.

Repetition

Recurring words and phrasesRain

The rain is falling all aroundIt falls on field and tree,

It rains on the umbrellas here,And on the ships at sea.

                                        Robert Louis Stevenson

1850-1894

The wheels on the bus go round and round,round and round, round and round.

The wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town.

Consonance

repeated consonant sounds in two or more works near each other

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy EveningbyRobert Frost (1874-1963)

Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow.

Assonance Repeated vowel sounds in two or more words

The BellsHear the mellow wedding bells, Golden bells! What a world of happiness their harmony foretells! Through the balmy air of night How they ring out their delight! From the molten-golden notes, And in tune, What a liquid ditty floats

By Edgar Allan Poe

Look again at “Twinkle, twinkle little star”

Alliteration

Repeated consonant sounds in two or more words

Twinkle, twinkle little star,How I wonder what you are,Up above the world so high,Like a diamond in the sky.

RhymeEnd Rhyme: lines which end with rhyming words are

usually assigned a letter in order to determine a rhyme scheme:

Mary had a little lamb _____Its fleece was white as snow _____And everywhere that Mary went

_____The lamb was sure to go _____

Internal Rhyme: lines of poetry which contain a rhyme within them:

The splendor falls on concrete walls

Lawless LeanThe parrotIs eating a carrotIn his cage in the garret.

Why is the parrot’sCage in the garret?He is not a sageParrot: his words enrage.

DownstairsIn his bedLies the headOf the familyHe is dead.

And the brothers gatherMutter utter would ratherForgetThe words the parrotSaid.

When high in his cage swingingFrom the lofty ceilingSat the pet screaming:“Who killed Lawless Lean?”It was not at all fitting.

So they put the parrotIn his cage in the garretAnd gave him a carrotTo keep him quiet.He should be glad they did not

wring his neck.

Onomatopoeia Words that sound like their meanings

The Marvelous ToyIt went zip when it moved and bop

when it stopped,Whirr when it stood stillI never knew just what it wasAnd I guess I never will

by Peter, Paul and Mary

Cacophony

Language which seems harsh, rough and non-musical

Jabberwocky'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;

All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe

By Lewis Carroll

Euphony Language which seems to be smooth,

pleasant and musical.To Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and

bless With fruit the vines that round the

thatch- eves run;By John Keats

Firework by Katy PerryDo you ever feel like a plastic bag,drifting through the windwanting to start again?

Do you ever feel, feel so paper thinlike a house of cards,one blow from caving in?

Do you ever feel already buried deep?Six feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing

Do you know that there's still a chance for you'Cause there's a spark in youYou just gotta ignite the light, and let it shineJust own the night like the 4th of July

(Chorus)

'Cause baby you're a fireworkCome on, show 'em what you're worthMake 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"As you shoot across the skyBaby, you're a fireworkCome on, let your colors burstMake 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

You don't have to feel like a waste of spaceYou're original, cannot be replacedIf you only knew what the future holdsAfter a hurricane comes a rainbow

Maybe your reason why all the doors are closedSo you could open one that leads you to the perfect roadLike a lightning bolt, your heart will glowAnd when it's time, you'll knowYou just gotta ignite the light, and let it shineJust own the night like the 4th of July

(chorus)

Boom, boom, boomEven brighter than the moon, moon, moonIt's always been inside of you, you, youAnd now it's time to let it through