Poetry Support

eWriting > Poetry Support > Explanation

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Explanations on self-test on sound devices

1. (c) The use of alliteration in the poem is outstanding. In all but the last couplet, phrases such as "murmuring by myriads", wakening with wonder", "singing of summer" reflect the poet's joyous feelings about summer in the Pyrenees, while there are many others which seem to express a wonderful sense of natural abundance.
2. (a) The alliteration of the "g" and "c" which are hard sounds express how strongly the poet feels for his creator and the natural world of colours brought together.
3. (c) The alliteration of "m" and "r" which are soft sounds express a kind of drowsiness and peace.
4. (a) These sounds transmit the icy feeling in the air and help the reader to imagine the feeling and sound of the wind blowing through the ruins.
5. (b) This short poem is packed with sound, for example, "O call, call, in cold cadenza call the rush/ The hush of rain". Just these one and a half lines alone of the poem contain alliteration, assonance and consonance. There is the repetition of "c", the repetition of "l'", the repetition of "d" and the repetition of "ush". The abundant use of sound devices in this poem creates the atmosphere of a coming storm and the hoped for results of much needed rain.
6. (c) Again, as in the poem above, this poet has used a wide range of sound devices to produce the scene. Not only is there repetition of consonants and vowels such as "l" and "c", but repetition of consonant and vowel sounds together: "wincing" and "winter", then the example of assonance in the following: "high", "outline", "silenced" and "lichen"; there is a very careful use of assonance: "Clean", lean, hungry country" and "trees" and "creek's", and "under" and "lurches". This use of repetitive sound devices across the stanza gives a unity to the picture of a rugged and demanding landscape, yet a place of stillness and peace. There seems to be something very special locked into this place.
7. (c) These two stanzas powerfully contrast with one another. The first gives an impression of disharmony. There is the use of the hard "c's" and "g's" coupled with "r's": "cracked", "roared", "growled" and the repetition of the word, "ice".
   Then there is the hard "i" of "ice" and the inhospitable sound of "around" and "wound", "cracked" and "growled" and "howled". On the other hand, a harmonious feeling is created with the swift movement created with the repetition of "f" and the long smooth vowel sounds of "fair", "breeze", "free".
8. (a)The word, "oozings" is resembling the meaning of something slowly flowing out and spreading about.
9. (a) The words, "whistles", "squeak", "drag" and "drones" resemble their meaning. For example, "whistles" gives the meaning of a sharp, high- pitched sound and "squeak" conveys the meaning of a quick, slight, high-pitched sound. Then the word, "drag" conveys the idea of slow, heavy movement, as does "drones" which is a slow, monotonous sound. The poet has created a contrast using onomatopoeia between the two different motions of the windmills.

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