Elements of Poetry:

Sounds
 What Are S
oun d Devices?
Sound devic
es are litera
describe how ry technique
w ds soun s at
also known d in a poem
as musical . They are
w ds in a devices. The
poem can ha choice of
sounds, regu ve different
lar irreg similar
of similar s ular sy abl
ounds, and es, repetition
a playful us
age of w d
s.
 Poetic sound devices exemplify e difference
betw n prose and poetic language. They enhance
e meaning of a poem and make it easy to
mem ize. Also, ey are fun, pleasant to e ear,
and enrich e rhy m and musicality of e
poem.
 1. Rhyme
Rhyme is e repetition of w ds wi e same sound in a poem.
The pattern of similarly pronounced w ds in a poem is us
known as a rhyme scheme.
The popular position of
rhyming w ds is often at e
end of lines, whereby e last
w d of a line rhymes wi
e last w d of ano er line
in e poem.
 Example:

The fo owing is an excerpt from Robert Frost's

"Acquainted wi e Night."

Proclaimed e time was nei er ong n right.

I have b n one acquainted wi e night.
 2. Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is a sound device at represents e exact sound of
some ing in e poem. The poet f ms a w d to imitate e sound
made by e object in e poem.

It's a f m of sound
symbolism, whereby e letters
represent a sound and might
not be a recognizable w d in
e dictionary.
 The streng of onomatopoeia is e poet has e
fr dom to represent e sound in any way. There's
no right ong unless a poet misrepresents
exaggerates sound f a dramatic effect.

Some w ds which denote e

sound made can be used as
onomatopoeia in poetry such
as bark, hiss, clattering,
sizzling, clapping among
o ers.
These eight lines contain several examples of e
technique. F example, “Bow-wow” is used to
describe a dog’s bark and “cock-a-diddle-dow”
to describe e sound of a chanticl r.
 3. Meter
Meter is an indicat of patterns of sound in a poem. The meter
relies on e poet's w d choice and e characteristics of sy ables
in ose w ds.

The sy able count can

determine e type of meter.
Also, in classical f ms of
poetry, it's imp tant to note
e number of stressed and
unstressed sy ables and eir
position.
Poems stand out because of e poet's i iant
use of e meter.

However, e fr verse can

stand out because of its lack
of a regular meter.

Metrical measures contribute

greatly to e rhy m e"
beats" in a poem.
 These lines from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 are
itten in Iambic pentameter, a type of meter in
poetry, containing five f t (you can s e above
line is divided into five parts which become five
f t), where each foot is composed of an
unstressed and a stressed sy able making it
iambic in nature.
 4. Euphony
Euphony in poetry entails e use of harmonious sounds in a poem.
This sound device has an effect on pleasant musicality and can
make e lines involved easy to remember.

To identify euphony, e
w ds sound sw t hence
evoking pleasant emotions,
and may have b n used
ironica y.
 Example : An excerpt from Macbe

The language of Shakespeare is a great

example of euphony. He has used pleasant,
harmonious, and musical sounds in e above
excerpt from Macbe . Here, e euphonic
w ds are shown in bold.
 5. Elision
Elision is a poetical device at involves e omission of a sy able
a sound where it is actua y in der to have ose sounds ere.
A poet may omit e first, internal last sy able of a w d.

In classical traditional
f ms of poetry, e sy able
affected by elision is replaced
by an apostrophe.
Elision is like a contraction of w ds as used in everyday-
language such as "I'm" instead of "I am."

But elision is not merely

cutting off. Some elisions
involve merging vowel sounds

Poets use is device to

maintain a regular meter and
rhy m.
 Example:
The fo owing is an excerpt from Wi iam W dsw 's "I
Wandered Lonely as a Cloud."

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hi s,

Instead of "over" which has two sy ables, e

poet merged e vowel sounds to f m a sy able
by using "o'er."
 6. Dissonance
When e rhy m of sound in a poem is inharmonious it creates
dissonance. A poem is inharmonious when it's hard to read and
doesn't flow smoo ly.
It is e deliberate use of
sounds which are disc dant
inharmonious wi e
surrounding.
Dissonance as a poetic device can
go beyond sound, whereby e
attitude, eme, imagery of e
poem is inharmonious.
 Example:
The fo owing is an excerpt from Robert Frost's "Acquainted wi e
Night." Al ough e rhy m of is poem is harmonious due to e
regular meter and assonance, e choice of w ds clashes as in "
walked out" "out walked."
Also, note how line 2 uses assonance harmoniously but in e next
line, e vowel sounds are different and instead comprises m e
consonant sounds.

I have walked out in rain—and back in

rain. [line 2]
I have out walked e fur est city light.
[line 3]
 7. Consonance
Consonance is e repetition of consonant sounds close to each o er
wi in a line in a poem.

Think of consonance as e
complementary partner of
assonance. Consonance is
created rough e repetition
of consonant sounds, while
assonance occurs when vowel
sounds are repeated.
 Example:

Many common phrases contain consonance. F

example, e tongue twister “”Peter Piper picked a
peck of pickled peppers. If Peter Piper picked a
peck of pickled peppers, where's e peck of
pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?" contains
consonance wi its repeated p sounds. The
phrase “curiosity ki ed e cat” also contains
consonance as it repeats c/k sounds.
 8. Cacophony
Cacophony is a sound device at uses harsh sounds at evoke
unpleasant f lings such as annoyance and rage. It may occur
unintentiona y in poetry dealing wi tough topics wi a harsh tone.

This sound device can make a

poem easy to remember
because e harsh sounds
make e poem f ceful.
Cacophony is often used in
dramatic poetry f emphasis.
 It is created primarily by using disc dant consonants (such as p,
b, d, g, k, ch-, sh-, etc.), particularly in combinations at
require an explosive delivery.

Example:

This sound device can be observed in e real w ld,

such as e din of a noisy str t crowded market
e sounds of an chestra band tuning eir
instruments bef e a concert. The w d also refers
to e sound made by crows o er c vids, as in
e phrase “a cacophony of crows.”
 9. Assonance
Assonance refers to e repetition of vowel sounds wi in a
line in poetry which is easy to discern.

Often, assonance appears

when ere are stressed
sy ables fo owing each o er.

This sound device places

emphasis on e w ds and
enhances mem ization.
 Example:

She se s seashe s by e seash e. (sh t and

long e sounds)
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if
a woodchuck could chuck wood? (sh t u and
oo/ou sounds)
I scream, you scream, we a scream
f ice cream. (long e sound)
 10.A iteration
A iteration is a sound device involving consonant sounds not to be
confused wi consonance.
In a iteration, e repeated
consonant sounds appear at
e initial letter of w ds and
are discernible.
A iteration often occurs
unintentiona y but can be
used intentiona y f
emphasis and sound effects.
 Example:

The phrase “tilting at windmi s” shows assonance

wi e repetition of e letter i. The sentence “The
rain in Spain stays mainly on e plain” also shows
assonance wi its repetition of ai.