Identifying the different sound devices in literature through these examples.
SOUND DEVICES – There are various literary techniques being used when it comes to poetry and here’s how to identify them through these samples.
Poetry is an art and it takes several techniques to create an art piece with just using letters and words. These techniques are called sound devices and they refer to the sounds of the words in a poem. These are the strategies used to make a certain piece appealing to the hearing.
The choice of words differ from the structures. There are similar sounds, regular or irregular syllables, repetition of similar sounds, and a playful usage of words. This can be done naturally or intentionally.
Different types and examples
- Onomatopoeia – They are known as the sound words in a poetry. This is used both for sensory language and short lines. Bang! Zip! Screech! are sound words.
Example from Spike Milligan’s “On the Ning Nang Nong”:
On the Ning Nang Nong
Where the cows go Bong!
and the monkeys all say BOO!
There’s a Nong Nang Ning
Where the trees go Ping!
And the tea pots jibber jabber joo.
Some forms of onomatopoeia are:
- Splish splash
- Ding dong
- Tick tock
- Achoo
- Shh
- Alliteration – This is the repetition of an initial consonant sound in words in close proximity which can be but don’t have to be in a consecutive manner.
Example from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”:
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
- Assonance – This happens when two or more words repeat the same vowel sound but begin with different consonant sounds. Words such as “tilting at windmills” goes together so well and pleasing to the ears because of the repetition of “i”.
Example from “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore…
- Consonance – The consonance is a repetition of consonant sounds. One example is the classic tongue twister “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” which has the repeated “p” sound which is a consonant.
Example from “I Saw a Chapel” by William Blake:
I saw a chapel all of gold
That none did dare to enter in
And many weeping stood without
Weeping mourning worshipping