Sound Devices in Poetry: Alliteration, Assonance, and Onomatopoeia

Listen to a child delighting in tongue twisters—"She sells seashells by the seashore"—and you'll witness the primal pleasure humans take in sound play. This joy doesn't disappear with age; it transforms and deepens. When you read poetry silently and miss the music, you're like someone looking at sheet music without hearing the symphony. Poetry began as an oral art, and even in our text-based age, sound remains central to how poems create meaning and emotional effect. Yet many readers feel intimidated by technical terms like "assonance" and "consonance," worrying they need specialized training to appreciate poetic sound. This chapter will tune your ear to poetry's music, teaching you to recognize and appreciate how poets use sound as a meaning-making tool. You'll discover that you already have the equipment needed—your ears and your voice—and learn how conscious attention to sound devices will deepen your poetry experience immeasurably.

Why Sound Devices Matter in Poetry

Sound in poetry works on multiple levels simultaneously. At the most basic level, pleasant sounds create aesthetic enjoyment—the simple satisfaction of hearing "round" sounds roll together or sharp sounds strike against each other. But sound does far more than decorate; it creates meaning.

Consider how we describe sounds with emotional qualities: harsh, soft, melodious, jarring. These aren't metaphors but recognition that sounds carry feeling. The sound "sl" feels slimy and slippery. The sound "cr" feels crushing and crackling. Poets harness these sound-feeling connections to reinforce their themes. When Poe writes about "the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain," the repeated "s" sounds create the rustling he describes.

Sound also aids memory. Before widespread literacy, cultures preserved their wisdom through memorable sound patterns. Alliteration, rhyme, and rhythm made vast stores of information portable in human memory. This mnemonic function continues—we remember "red sky at night, sailor's delight" because the sounds support the sense.

Furthermore, sound creates physical experience. Poetry isn't just intellectual; it's bodily. The movements your mouth makes when reading aloud, the vibrations in your throat, the breath required—these physical acts connect you viscerally to the poem. Sound devices orchestrate this physical experience, making readers participants, not just observers.

How to Identify Sound Devices: Clear Examples

Let's explore the main sound devices poets employ:

Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds

"Wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being" —Percy Bysshe Shelley

The repeated "W" creates a sense of wind whooshing. Notice it's the sound, not the letter—"phone" and "fish" alliterate despite different spellings.

Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds within words

"Hear the mellow wedding bells" —Edgar Allan Poe

The repeated "e" sound (mellow, wedding, bells) creates a harmonious effect matching the pleasant bells.

Consonance: Repetition of consonant sounds at word ends or middles

"And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil" —Gerard Manley Hopkins

The repeated "r" sounds create a harsh, grinding effect matching the industrial destruction described.

Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate sounds

"The buzzing of innumerable bees"

"Buzzing" sounds like what it describes. Poetry extends this beyond obvious sound words.

Euphony: Pleasant, harmonious sounds

"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness" —John Keats

The soft sounds (m, l, s) create a gentle, pleasant effect matching autumn's peace.

Cacophony: Harsh, discordant sounds

"Jabberwocky": "Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe"

The nonsense words use harsh sound combinations to create an unsettling effect.

Sibilance: Repeated "s" sounds (a specific type of consonance)

"In the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain" —Edgar Allan Poe

The "s" sounds create the rustling effect being described.

Common Patterns and Effects

Sound devices rarely work in isolation. Poets combine them for complex effects:

Sound Echoing Sense: The sounds reinforce the meaning

"The ice was here, the ice was there, The ice was all around: It cracked and growled, and roared and howled" —Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The harsh consonants (cr, gr, r) mimic ice breaking.

Sound Contrast: Different sounds mark shifts

"From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells" shifts to "From the bells, bells, bells, bells"

The light sounds become heavy repetition, showing obsession taking over.

Sound Patterns Across Lines: Sounds weave through poems

"Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

The "g" sounds in "go gentle," "age," and "rage, rage" create continuity.

Cultural Sound Associations: Different languages favor different sounds

English poetry often uses iambic rhythm (da-DUM) because it matches English speech patterns. Japanese poetry uses different sound patterns based on that language's characteristics.

Practice Exercises with "The Raven"

Let's analyze sound devices in Poe's "The Raven":

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore— While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door."

Exercise 1: Identify Alliteration

- "weak and weary" (w) - "nodded, nearly napping" (n) - "suddenly...some" (s)

The alliteration creates a hypnotic effect, lulling like the speaker's drowsiness.

Exercise 2: Find Internal Rhyme

- "dreary/weary" - "napping/tapping/rapping"

These internal rhymes accelerate the pace, creating urgency within the longer lines.

Exercise 3: Analyze Sound Mood

The opening uses soft sounds (w, m, n) creating drowsiness. The "tapping/rapping" introduces harder sounds, jolting the speaker (and reader) alert.

Exercise 4: Track Sound Development

As the poem progresses, notice how the repeated "Nevermore" becomes increasingly harsh, its "r" sound growing more prominent as the speaker's distress increases.

Mistakes Beginners Make with Sound Devices

Mistake 1: Reading Silently Only

Sound devices require hearing. Always read poems aloud at least once. Your silent reading misses half the poem's effects.

Mistake 2: Over-Identifying

Not every repeated sound is significant. Look for patterns that reinforce meaning, not random coincidences. If three words in a line start with "t," that's probably intentional. If two words three lines apart happen to start with "t," maybe not.

Mistake 3: Focusing on Terms Over Effects

Knowing that something is "assonance" matters less than recognizing how it sounds and feels. Don't get caught up in labeling at the expense of experiencing.

Mistake 4: Ignoring Unpleasant Sounds

Sometimes poets use cacophony deliberately. Harsh sounds for harsh subjects make perfect sense. Don't dismiss poems because they're not melodious.

Mistake 5: Missing Sound-Meaning Connections

Always ask: why these sounds for this meaning? The connection between sound and sense is where the magic happens.

Quick Reference Guide for Sound Devices

Identification Tips: 1. Read aloud slowly 2. Mark repeated sounds 3. Notice your mouth movements 4. Feel the vibrations 5. Consider emotional effects Common Sound-Meaning Associations: - Soft sounds (l, m, n): Peace, gentleness, sleep - Hard sounds (k, g, t): Conflict, breaking, hardness - Sibilants (s, sh): Whispering, secrets, snakes - Plosives (p, b): Explosion, surprise, emphasis - Liquids (l, r): Flow, melting, music Analysis Questions: - Which sounds dominate? - How do sounds change through the poem? - Do sounds mirror meaning? - What physical sensations do sounds create? - How do sounds affect pacing? Sound Device Functions: - Create mood/atmosphere - Emphasize key words - Link related concepts - Provide musicality - Aid memorability - Create physical experience

Try It Yourself: Interactive Activities

Activity 1: Sound Inventory

Take a line of poetry and chart its sounds:

"The silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain"

- Sibilants: s(ilken), s(ad), (un)c(ertain), rus(tling), c(urtain) - Liquids: (si)l(ken), rust(l)ing, pu(r)p(l)e, cu(r)tain - Vowels: (s)i(lken)/(certa)i(n), (s)a(d), u(ncertain)/p(u)rple

Notice how sounds layer and interweave?

Activity 2: Sound Substitution

Rewrite a line changing the sounds but keeping the meaning:

Original: "The wild wind whistles through the trees" Soft version: "The mild breeze murmurs in the leaves" Harsh version: "The stark gale crashes through the branches"

Feel how sound changes emotional impact?

Activity 3: Onomatopoeia Creation

Invent words for these sounds: - A pencil writing: "skrithch" - Rain on leaves: "pliffle" - Walking in snow: "krumpf"

This exercise develops sound awareness.

Activity 4: Sound Pattern Poem

Write four lines where each line emphasizes a different sound:

"Morning mist melts on the meadow (m) Sunrise burns the bitter cold away (b) Larks lift liquid songs to light (l) Releasing joy through trembling air (r)"

Activity 5: Cacophony vs. Euphony

Describe the same scene two ways:

Euphonious: "Soft waves wash the silent shore" Cacophonous: "Harsh breakers crash on jagged rocks"

Understanding Complex Sound Effects

Advanced poets create sophisticated sound textures:

Sound Modulation: Gradual shift from one sound pattern to another

"From soft to rough, from smooth to stark, The poem's sounds shift light to dark"

Echo Effects: Sounds returning after absence

A poem might use many "o" sounds early, abandon them in the middle, then return to "o" sounds for closure.

Synesthetic Sound: Sounds suggesting other senses

"The yellow warmth of humming noon"—the "mm" sound feels warm

Counterpoint: Different sound patterns working against each other

Harsh consonants describing beauty or soft sounds describing violence create tension.

Sound Symbolism: Culturally specific sound meanings

In English, "gl" words often relate to light (gleam, glow, glitter). Poets use these associations consciously.

Cultural and Historical Perspectives

Different poetic traditions emphasize different sound devices:

Anglo-Saxon: Heavy alliteration "Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum" (Behold! We of the Spear-Danes in days of yore) Romance Languages: Vowel music and liquid consonants Spoken Word/Slam: Explosive sounds, rhythm, repetition for performance Sound Poetry: Pure sound without semantic meaning, exploring sound as music Contemporary Innovation: Poets like Harryette Mullen use sound play to explore cultural identity and language politics

Building Your Sound Awareness

Daily Listening: Pay attention to sounds in everyday speech. Notice how emotions change sound patterns. Read Diversely: Different poets excel at different sound effects: - Hopkins for consonance - Poe for musical effects - cummings for playful sounds - Brooks for urban rhythms Practice Reading Aloud: Record yourself. Listen for: - Where you stumble (difficult sound combinations) - Where you speed up (flowing sounds) - Where you slow down (heavy consonants) Sound Mapping: Choose a poem and color-code different sounds. Visual patterns reveal acoustic patterns. Imitation Exercises: Try writing in another poet's sound style. This develops awareness of individual sound signatures. Cross-Language Exploration: Listen to poetry in languages you don't understand. You'll hear pure sound patterns without semantic interference.

The Deeper Purpose of Sound

Why do poets lavish such attention on sound?

Primal Connection: Sound predates language. Babies respond to tone before understanding words. Poetry's sounds tap this pre-linguistic understanding. Physical Participation: Sound makes readers physically participate through breath and muscle movement. Poetry becomes embodied experience. Emotional Precision: Sometimes sound expresses what words cannot. The feeling of loss might live in long "o" sounds more than in the word "grief." Cultural Memory: Sound patterns carry cultural DNA. Hearing certain rhythms or sound combinations activates deep cultural memories. Resistance to Paraphrase: A poem's sounds can't be paraphrased. They insist on the poem's uniqueness, its irreducibility to mere meaning. Pleasure Principle: Humans enjoy pattern and variation in sound. Poetry feeds this basic pleasure, making serious subjects bearable through beauty.

As you continue your poetry journey, let sound be your guide into deeper understanding. When a poem seems difficult, start with its sounds. Read it aloud, slowly, feeling the shapes in your mouth, hearing the music in your ears. Notice which sounds please you, which disturb you, which surprise you. Ask how these sounds relate to what the poem says. Remember that poetry began as song, as spell, as spoken charm. Every poem, even those written for the page, carries this oral heritage in its sounds. By attending to sound devices—not as technical exercises but as meaning-making music—you join poetry's ancient tradition of making meaning through melody, of finding truth through tune, of discovering that in poetry, as in life, how something sounds is inseparable from what it means.