Sound Devices

What is a sound device? A literary device used to convey meaning through sound

The purpose of sound devices To make writing enjoyable for the reader and listener To make writing interesting To help convey meaning To place emphasis on an event or subject To create a mood or tone

Common types of sound devices Rhyme Repetition Onomatopoeia Alliteration Assonance Consonance Cacophony Rhythm Resonance Dissonance Euphony

Sound devices in poetry Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright, The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light; And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout, But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out. – from “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer Alliteration – somewhere, sun, shining, shout Repetition – somewhere rhyme

Sound devices in poetry The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood, Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it. --from “Out Out” by Robert Lee Frost Onomatopoeia – buzz, snarled, rattled Alliteration – saw, snarled, stove-length, sweet-scented, stuff

Sound devices in poetry Hear the mellow wedding bells, Golden bells! What a world of happiness their harmony foretells! -from “Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe Assonance – mellow, wedding, bells Consonance – mellow, bells