Sound in Poetry

Question 1

role of sound in poetry (2 roles)

Answer 1

• gives meaning

- sets mood/tone

Question 2

how is music/sound represented in poetry? (2 ways)

Answer 2

• the words

- the speed/pacing

Question 3

how does sound give meaning in any literary work/language?

Answer 3

• meaning is embedded in sound
• sound gives us clues to determine language, no matter what language we’re speaking -> ie. through vowels, hard/soft sounds, speed of sound, etc.

Question 4

What do Kiki and Bouba teach us about the meaning of sound?

Answer 4

• Kiki: people associate sharp sounds with sharp objects

- Bouba: people associate soft sounds with blobby, soft objects

Question 5

Role of sound in mood-setting

Answer 5

Can set a mood and help give meaning to a poem, just like it does in a movie

Question 6

Three types of sound effects in poetry

Answer 6

1. percussive sounds
2. breathy sounds
3. onomatopoeia

Question 7

Percussive sounds

Answer 7

• b, d, g, p, t, k
• ex. “peak breaker, god thumper”, etc. from volcano poem.
• set assertive tone and draw attention
• stop plosives: p, t, k (hit, kick, slap)

Question 8

Breathy sounds

Answer 8

• f, th, s, sh, ch

- ex. hissing, whispering, churn

Question 9

Onomatopoeia

Answer 9

• words that sounds like they mean

- buzz, whir, crash, ping, plop

Question 10

What are the different ways to use sound in poetry?

Answer 10

• rhyme (true rhyme, slant rhyme)
• alliteration
• enjambment
• consonance
• assonance

Question 11

true rhyme

Answer 11

• same end sound (vowel and consonant)
• found in children’s poetry and traditional forms (ie. sonnets)
• difficult to use well because they’re predictable (ie. cat/hat = boring. Cat/combat, on the other hand, is more interesting)

Question 12

slant/near/half rhyme

Answer 12

• an imperfect rhyme, altering the vowel or the consonant
• found in contemporary/modern poetry and lyrics
• much more variation/choice -> ie. bone/thin, crime/scam, park/start

Question 13

Alliteration

Answer 13

• repetition of initial consonants
• ex. she sells seashells by the seashore
• ex. “Ragged Rebellions Drooped as Drapery”, “lip-glossed Pouts and all those Pants” from Patricia Smith’s poem, Building Nichole’s Mama

Question 14

Enjambment

Answer 14

• unnatural stop (rather than a natural stop or end stop)
• creates intrigue or surprise
• ex. “the cat licks”

Question 15

Consonance

Answer 15

• the repetition of consonants that are not at the beginning of the word
• ex. “drooPed as draPery” from Building Nichole’s Mama

Question 16

Assonance

Answer 16

• repetition of vowel sounds
• for some poets alliteration is too noticeable, and they prefer to echo the vowel sound
• greatly affects musical quality of words
• ex. “they rOwed until the reached the cOve”

Question 17

what is the effect of the repetition of sounds on a poem?

Answer 17

• punctuates/highlights

- shows exhaustion/monotony

Question 18

pace in poetry

Answer 18

• the speed/momentum of a poem (slow -> fast)

- how the poem moves (deliberate and mediative; hasty and chaotic, etc.)

Question 19

features of fast pace in poetry

Answer 19

• long sentences
• little punctuation
• little white space

Question 20

features of slow/meditative pace in poetry

Answer 20

• lots of punctuation

- lots of white space