10 Sound Devices in Poetry With Examples
Find definitions and examples of common poetic sound devices below.
What Are Sound Devices?
Sound devices are literary techniques that describe how words sound in a poem. They appeal to our sense of hearing, and are also known as musical devices. The choice of words in a poem can have different or similar sounds, regular or irregular syllables, repetition of similar sounds, and a playful usage of words. Literary devices of sound in poetry occur either naturally or intentionally.
Poetic sound devices exemplify the difference between prose and poetic language. They enhance the meaning of a poem and make it easy to memorize. Also, they are fun, pleasant to the ear, and enrich the rhythm and musicality of the poem.
Poetry doesn't have to be hard to understand!
1. Rhyme
Rhyme is the repetition of words with the same sound in a poem. The pattern of similarly pronounced words in a poem is thus known as a rhyme scheme.
The popular position of rhyming words is often at the end of lines, whereby the last word of a line rhymes with the last word of another line in the poem.
Internal rhyme occurs when the rhyming words appear in the middle of a line.
Slant rhyme occurs when two words share a similar sound—it's an almost but not quite rhyme.
When used cleverly, rhymes are enjoyable, especially when the poem is presented aloud. However, sometimes poets seem to force rhymes and can make a poem monotonous.
Example:
The following is an excerpt from Robert Frost's "Acquainted with the Night."
Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.
2. Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is a sound device that replicates the exact sound of something in the poem. The poet chooses or forms a word that imitates the sound made by the object in the poem.
Onomatopoeia is a form of sound symbolism, whereby the letters represent a sound that might not be a recognizable word in the dictionary.
Some forms of onomatopoeia are obvious and universally understood:
- Splish splash
- Ding dong
- Tick tock
- Achoo
- Shh
All of those words sound like what they name. Also, some words which denote the sound made can be used as onomatopoeia in poetry, such as bark, hiss, clattering, sizzling, and clapping, among others.
Nevertheless, onomatopoeic sounds may differ from one culture to another, even when the poem is in the same language.
In some cultures, the sound cows make is represented by moo. In my culture, mbooo (read with oh) is the known sound a cow makes.
The strength of onomatopoeia is in the freedom a poet has to represent the sound in any way. There's no right or wrong way unless a poet misrepresents or exaggerates sound for a dramatic effect.
Onomatopoeia is common in children's songs and poems.
Example:
The following is an excerpt from Spike Milligan's "On the Ning Nang Nong."
On the Ning Nang Nong
Where the cows go Bong!
and the monkeys all say BOO!
There's a Nong Nang Ning
Where the trees go Ping!
And the tea pots jibber jabber joo.
3. Meter
Meter is an indicator of patterns of sound in a poem. The meter relies on the poet's word choice and the characteristics of syllables in those words.
The syllable count can determine the type of meter.
Also, in classical forms of poetry, it's important to note the number of stressed and unstressed syllables and their position.
Poems stand out because of the poet's brilliant use of the meter.
However, free verse can stand out because of its lack of a regular meter.
Metrical measures contribute greatly to the rhythm or the "beats" in a poem.
Example:
The following is an excerpt from Robert Frost's "Acquainted with the Night." Each of these lines has 10 syllables that follow one another in a regular pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables. This type of meter is known as iambic pentameter. Note that in the excerpt below, I have highlighted the stressed syllables in bold letters.
Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.
4. Euphony
Euphony in poetry entails the use of smooth, harmonious sounds in a poem. This sound device creates a pleasant musicality, and can make the lines involved easy to remember.
Euphony can be identified by words that evoke pleasing emotions, and may have been used ironically.
Example:
The following is an excerpt from William Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud."
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
Note how the poet uses smooth words which mostly comprise gliding consonants like l and n, nasal consonants like h, and a lot of vowel sounds. It gives these lines a harmonious and pleasant musicality when spoken aloud.
5. Elision
Elision is a poetic device that involves the omission of a syllable or a sound. A poet may omit the first, internal or last syllable of a word.
In classical or traditional forms of poetry, the syllable affected by elision is replaced by an apostrophe.
Sometimes, elision is the discernible omission of words (such as conjunctions) from a line.
Elision also takes the shape of contractions used in everyday language, such as "I'm" instead of "I am."
But elision is not merely a cutting off. Some elisions involve merging vowel sounds.
Poets use this device to maintain a regular meter and rhythm.
Example:
The following is an excerpt from William Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud."
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
Instead of "over," which has two syllables, the poet merged the vowel sounds to form a syllable by using "o'er."
6. Dissonance
When the rhythm of sound in a poem is inharmonious, it creates dissonance. A poem is inharmonious when it's hard to read and doesn't flow smoothly.
Dissonance is related to cacophony. However, the sound device of dissonance is a wider term that includes disagreeing and the absence of harmony.
It is the deliberate use of sounds which are discordant or inharmonious with the surroundings.
Dissonance does not occur only when negative emotions or tones like rage and tension are expressed. It can be musical and express joy even though the sounds used are not in harmony.
Dissonance as a poetic device can go beyond sound, whereby the attitude, theme, or imagery of the poem is inharmonious.
Example:
The following is an excerpt from Robert Frost's "Acquainted with the Night." Although the rhythm of this poem is harmonious due to the regular meter and assonance, the choice of words clashes, as in "walked out" and "out walked."
Also, note how line 2 uses assonance harmoniously, but in the next line, the vowel sounds are different and instead comprise more consonant sounds.
I have walked out in rain—and back in rain. [line 2]
I have out walked the furthest city light. [line 3]
7. Consonance
Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds close to each other within a line in a poem.
The sounds are repetitive whether in the middle or at the end of words, not to be confused with alliteration.
Words in poetry which at first glance may appear to rhyme but do not usually apply consonance, like above/approve and amber/chamber.
Example:
The following is an excerpt from Robert Frost's "Acquainted with the Night." There is repetitive use of consonant sounds r, n, and th.
Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.
8. Cacophony
Cacophony is a sound device that uses harsh sounds that evoke unpleasant feelings such as annoyance and rage. It may occur unintentionally in poetry dealing with tough topics with a harsh tone.
This sound device can make a poem easy to remember because the harsh sounds make the poem forceful. Cacophony is often used in dramatic poetry for emphasis.
It's the use of harsh instead of smooth sounds or words as in euphony. It is closely related to dissonance.
Consonant sounds like k, c, g, b, t create cacophony when they occur closely and are used to present negative situations.
Example:
The following is an excerpt from Robert Frost's "Acquainted with the Night." Note how the lines contain a mixture of several harsh consonant sounds, including b, c, k,t, and g.
But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,