Edgar Allen Poe’s Use of Poetic Sound Devices American LiteratureUnit 1: The Literary Style of Edgar Allen Poe

Poe’s Poetry Poe said that “The death of a beautiful

woman is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world”

Death is a common theme in his poetry and fiction

Poe’s Poetry Poe said, “I would define, in brief, the

poetry of words as the rhythmical creation of Beauty”

In other words, Poe believed that poetry was the creation of beauty in rhythm.

Poe’s Poetry To create rhythm, Poe used sound

devices such as rhyme, alliteration, and assonance

Rhyme: Poe used not just end rhyme (rhyme at the end of lines) but internal rhyme

Internal Rhyme Internal rhyme is rhyme within a single

line of poetryExamples “Now I’m in the limelight cuz I rhyme tight”

(Notorious B.I.G.) “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I

pondered weak and weary” (“The Raven”, E.A. Poe)

“For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams” (“Annabel Lee”, E.A. Poe)

Alliteration Alliteration is the repetition of consonant

sounds at the beginning of words Examples “Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic,

Marley Marl” (Notorious B.I.G) “And as the decibels of this disenchanting

discourse continue to dampen the day” (Live, “White Discussion)

“They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot” (Joni Mitchel, “Big Yellow Taxi”)

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary” (E.A. Poe, “The Raven”)

Assonance Assonance is the repetition of vowel

sounds within words Examples “A little old lady got mutilated late last

night” (Warren Zevon, “Werewolves of London”) What other sound technique is this an

example of? “Strips of tinfoil winking like people”

(Sylvia Plath, “The Bee Meeting”) “Hear the mellow wedding bells” (E.A.

Poe, “Bells”)

Repetition Makes Rhythm Any beat or rhythm is created by some

kind of repetition The sound devices of rhyme,

alliteration, and assonance all help to add pleasing rhythm to poetry

Poe defined poetry as “the rhythmical creation of beauty”

TURN TO PAGE 198

Review: Practice Quiz1. “The death of a ________ ________ is

unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world”

2. ________ _______ is rhyme within a single line of poetry

3. _____________ is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words

4. _____________ is the repetition of vowel sounds within words

In your notebooks, write the words in each line that are examples of internal rhyme.5. “Now I’m in the limelight cuz I rhyme

tight” (Notorious B.I.G.)-light, tight

6. “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary” (“The Raven”, E.A. Poe)

7. “For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams” (“Annabel Lee”, E.A. Poe)

Write the words that are an example of assonance, and underline the letter or letters that make the repeated sound.

8. “A little old lady got mutilated late last night” (Warren Zevon, “Werewolves of London”)

9. “Strips of tinfoil winking like people” (Sylvia Plath, “The Bee Meeting”)

10. “Hear the mellow wedding bells” (E.A. Poe, “Bells”)

Write the words that are an example of alliteration, and underline the letter or letters that make the repeated sound.

11. “Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl” (Notorious B.I.G)

12. “And as the decibels of this disenchanting discourse continue to dampen the day” (Live, “White Discussion)

13. “They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot” (Joni Mitchel, “Big Yellow Taxi”)

14. “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary” (E.A. Poe, “The Raven”)

15. “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers”