In “The Curse”

The sound devices in “The Curse” by Josh Ritter indicate that the mood of the poem changes to show that what starts as love may end as sorrow.

She carries him home in a beautiful boat This line contains two incidents of alliteration,

both of which indicate a positive thing. First, the repeated “h” emphasizes home.

Second, the repeated “b” sound emphasizes the prettiness of the boat, which his itself symbolic of new adventures.

The line indicates a positive mood.

This stanza starts with It’s his face on her book, and more and more come

to look The first incident of alliteration here emphasizes

the contrast between his face and her book, showing that the emphasis is moving from her to him.

The rhyme between book and look also shows contrast. Things are changing—the emphasis is from her to him as he grows into his own.