Alliteration Alliteration is the repetition of the same
sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables
of an English language phrase. Alliteration developed largely through poetry, in which
it more narrowly refers to the repetition of a consonant in any syllables that, according
to the poem's meter, are stressed, as in James Thomson's verse "Come…dragging the lazy
languid Line along". Another example is, "Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers".
Consonance (ex: As the wind will bend) is another 'phonetic agreement' akin to alliteration.
It refers to the repetition of consonant sounds. Alliteration is a special case of consonance
where the repeated consonant sound is at the stressed syllable. Alliteration may also include
the use of different consonants with similar properties such as alliterating z with s,
as does Tolkien in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, or as Anglo-Saxon (Old English) poets
would alliterate hard/fricative g with soft g (the latter exemplified in some courses
as the letter yogh - ȝ - pronounced like the y in yarrow or the j in Jotunheim); this
is known as license. There is one specialised form of alliteration
called Symmetrical Alliteration. That is, alliteration containing parallelism. In this
case, the phrase must be constituted of two end words both starting with the same letter,
and the pairs of outside words getting progressively closer to the centre of the phrase also starting
with identical letters. For example, "rust brown blazers rule", "purely and fundamentally
for analytical purposes" or "fluoro colour co-ordination forever". Symmetrical alliteration
is similar to palindromes in its usage of symmetry.
Alliteration in poetry and literature The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe has many examples
of alliteration including the following line: "And the silken sad uncertain rustling of
each purple curtain". Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient
Mariner has the following lines of alliteration: "For the sky and the sea, and the sea and
the sky." and "the furrow followed free..." Robert Frost's poem Acquainted with the Night
has the following line of alliteration: "I have stood still and stopped the sound of
feet". Examples in nursery rhymes
In Thank-You for the Thistle by Dorie Thurston, poetically written with alliteration in a
story form: "Great Aunt Nellie and Brent Bernard who watch with wild wonder at the wide window
as the beautiful birds begin to bite into the bountiful birdseed".
In the nursery rhyme Three Grey Geese by Mother Goose, use of alliteration can be found in
the following lines : "Three grey geese in a green field grazing. Grey were the geese
and green was the grazing." The tongue-twister rhyme Betty Botter by Carolyn
Wells is an example of alliterative composition : "Betty Botter bought some butter, but she
said, this butter's bitter; if I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter,
but a bit of better butter will make my batter better..."
Another commonly recited tongue-twister rhyme illustrating alliteration is "Peter Piper".
- "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?".
Historical use Alliteration is commonly used in many languages,
especially in poetry. Alliterative verse was an important ingredient of poetry in "Sanskrit
Shlokas", Old English, Old Norse, and Old Irish especially - as well as other old Germanic
languages like Old High German, and Old Saxon. This custom extended to personal name giving,
such as in Old English given names. This is evidenced by the unbroken series of 9th century
kings of Wessex named Æthelwulf, Æthelbald, Æthelberht, and Æthelred. These were followed
in the 10th century by their direct descendants Æthelstan and Æthelred II, who ruled as
kings of England. The Anglo-Saxon saints Tancred, Torhtred and Tova provide a similar example,
among siblings. Alliteration in Poetry
In relation to English poetry, poets can call attention to certain words in a line of poetry
by using alliteration. They can also use alliteration to create a pleasant, rhythmic effect. In
the following poetic lines, notice how alliteration is used to emphasize words and to create rhythm:
"Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling!' Walt Whitman, "Give
Me the Splendid Silent Sun" “They all gazed and gazed upon this green
stranger,/because everyone wondered what it could mean/ that a rider and his horse could
be such a color-/ green as grass, and greener it seemed/ than green enamel glowing bright
against gold". (232-236) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by Benard O'Donohue
"Some papers like writers, some like wrappers. Are you a writer or a wrapper?" Carl Sandburg,
"Paper I" Alliteration can also add to the mood of a
poem. If a poet repeat soft, melodious sounds, a calm or dignified mood can result. If harsh,
hard sound are repeated, on the other hand, the mood can become tense or excited. In this
poem, alliteration of the s, l, and f sound adds to a hushed, peaceful mood "Softer be
they than slippered sleep the lean lithe deer the fleet flown deer." E. E. Cummings "All
in green went my love riding" Alliteration in Rhetoric
Alliteration also serves as a linguistic rhetorical device more commonly used in persuasive public
speaking. Rhetoric is broadly defined as the "Art of Persuasion", which has from earliest
times been concerned with specific techniques for effective communication. Alliteration
serves to "intensify any attitude being signified". Its significance as a rhetorical device is
that it adds a textural complexity to a speech, making it more engaging, moving, and memorable.
The use of alliteration in a speech captivates a person's auditory senses that assists in
creating a mood for the speaker. The use of a repeating sound or letter forces an audience’s
attention because of their distinct and noticeable nature. The auditory senses, hearing and listening,
seem to perk up and pay attention with the constant sounds of alliteration. It also evokes
emotion which is key in persuading an audience. The idea of pathos solidifies that playing
to a person's emotions is key in persuading them and connecting them to the argument that
is being made. For example, the use of a "H" sound can produce a feeling of calmness. Other
sounds can create feelings of happiness, discord, or anger, depending on the context of the
alliteration. These feelings become memorable to a listener, which have been created by
alliteration. The most common example of this is in John
F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, where he uses alliteration twenty-one times throughout his
speech. The last paragraph of his speech is given as an example here.
"Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the
same high standards of strength and sacrifice (ALLITERATION) which we ask of you. With a
good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let
us go forth to lead the land we love (ALLITERATION), asking His blessing and His help, but knowing
that here on earth God's work must truly be our own." –JFK
Other examples of alliteration in some famous speeches:
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will
not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." — Martin
Luther King, Jr. "We, the people, declare today that the most
evident of truths — that all of us are created equal — is the star that guides us still;
just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it
guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall,
to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual
freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth". — Barack Obama
"And our nation itself is testimony to the love our veterans have had for it and for
us. All for which America stands is safe today because brave men and women have been ready
to face the fire at freedom's front." — Ronald Reagan, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Address
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation,
conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal".
-Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address Pop culture
Alliteration is most commonly used in modern music but is also seen in magazine article
titles, advertisements, business names, comic strips, television shows, video games and
in the dialogue and naming of cartoon characters. An example would be Tupac Shakur's "If I Die
2Nite" off his Me Against The World release.