Figures of Sound and Figures of Speech PDF

Figures of Sound Figures of Sound Poetic devices used to achieve sound effects in poetry are also called figures of sound. We have already dealt with one commonly used figure of sound in poetry: rhyme. Alliteration  Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds.  The repetition c...

Figures of Sound Figures of Sound Poetic devices used to achieve sound effects in poetry are also called figures of sound. We have already dealt with one commonly used figure of sound in poetry: rhyme. Alliteration  Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds.  The repetition can be at the beginning of words or in the middle of words, as long as the sound is repeated.  The repetition may occur within one line or over several lines in a stanza, and can continue from one stanza to the next. Example: “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” (alliteration of “p” and “k”) “The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, the furrow follow’d free” (alliteration of “f” and “b” sounds, also “l” and “r”). Note: “t” and “th” and “s” and “sh” are different sounds Assonance  Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds.  The repetition can be at the beginning of words or in the middle, and can occur within the same line, or over several lines and stanzas. Example: “the grave cave ate”, “a noisy noise annoys an oyster” Note: Vowels may look the same but sound different. Think of the vowel “o” in “woman” and “women”. Listen closely to the vowel sound. Say it out loud if you have to. Consonance Consonance is a kind of slant rhyme. It occurs when words have the same consonant sounds but different vowel sounds. Examples: love-leave hot-heat Onomatopoeia Words that represent sounds are called onomatopoeia. Crash, boom, bang Screech, howl, roar Look at the poem “On my boat on Lake Cayuga” On My Boat On Lake Cayuga by William Cole On my boat on Lake Cayuga I have a horn that goes “Ay- oogah!” I’m not the modern kind of creep Who has a horn that goes “beep beep.” Excerpt from “The Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire, In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire, Leaping higher, higher, higher, With a desperate desire, And a resolute endeavor Now—now to sit or never, By the side of the pale-faced moon. Oh, the bells, bells, bells! What a tale their terror tells Of Despair! How they clang, and clash, and roar! What a horror they outpour On the bosom of the palpitating air! I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter Dancing through the fire 'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar Louder, louder than a lion 'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar ”Roar” by Katy Perry I was five and he was six We rode on horses made of sticks He wore black and I wore white He would always win the fight Bang bang, he shot me down Bang bang, I hit the ground Bang bang, that awful sound Bang bang, my baby shot me down ”Shot Me Down” by David Guetta Spot the Figures of Sound Rain (p. 170) Like a drummer’s brush, The rain hushes the surface of tin porches. Virginia (p. 184) Red river, red river, Slow flow heat is silence No will is still as a river Still. Will heat move Only through the mocking-bird Heard once? Still hills Wait. Gates wait. Purple trees, White trees, wait, wait, Delay, decay. Living, living, Never moving. Ever moving Iron thoughts came with me And go with me: Red river, river, river Recital (p.169) Eskimos in Manitoba, Barracuda off Aruba, Cock an ear when Roger Bobo Starts to solo on the tuba. Men of every station—Pooh-Bah, Nabob, bozo, toff and hobo— Cry in unison, “Indubi- Tably there is simply nobo- Dy who oompahs on the tubo, Solo, quite like Roger Bubo!” Figures of Speech Part 1  What are figures of speech?  Figures of speech are expressions that are not meant to be understood literally.  Figures of speech have to be interpreted.  Idioms (“raining cats and dogs”) are commonly- used figures of speech. Why we speak figuratively When we speak, we use figures of speech much more often than we realize. Figures of speech make what we say funnier, more memorable, or just more interesting.  Simile  A simile is a direct comparison between two different things, actions, feelings, etc. The most commonly used figure of speech is probably the simile.  The similarities between the two are obvious.  The comparison is made using a connective such as “like”, “as” or “than”. Examples: ◦ “as graceful as a gazelle” ◦ “whiter than a sheet” ◦ “He eats like a pig”. ◦ “She has a face like a horse.” Excerpt from “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns O my Luve is like a red, red rose That’s newly sprung in June; O my Luve is like the melody That’s sweetly played in tune. Excerpt from “Design” by Robert Frost I found a dimpled spider, fat and white, On a white heal-all, holding up a moth Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth-- Assorted characters of death and blight Mixed ready to begin the morning right, Like the ingredients of a witches' broth-- A snow-drop spider, a flower like a froth, And dead wings carried like a paper kite." Metaphor A metaphor is an indirect comparison. In a metaphor, a thing, idea, action, etc. is referred to as being something else with which it shares a common quality. There is no need for a connective. Example: ◦ “You are an angel.”  Note:  We often use similes for things like “his face turned as white as a sheet”, “yesterday was as hot as hell” or “I am hungry like a wolf”.  However, sometimes metaphors are more effective comparisons because they are more direct and compact. Compare:  “Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?”  “Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are shooting stars?” My lover’s got humor She’s the giggle at a funeral Knows everybody’s disapproval I should’ve worshipped her sooner “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And both that morning equally lay And sorry I could not travel both In leaves no step had trodden And be one traveler, long I stood black. And looked down one as far as I Oh, I kept the first for another day! could Yet knowing how way leads on to To where it bent in the way, undergrowth; I doubted if I should ever come back. Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better I shall be telling this with a sigh claim, Somewhere ages and ages hence: Because it was grassy and wanted Two roads diverged in a wood, and wear; I— Though as for that the passing I took the one less traveled by, there And that has made all the Had worn them really about the difference. same, Excerpt from “Titanium” by David Guetta You shout it loud, but I can't hear a word you say I'm talking loud, not saying much I'm criticized, but all your bullets ricochet You shoot me down, but I get up I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose Fire away, fire away Ricochet, you take your aim Fire away, fire away You shoot me down, but I won't fall I am titanium You shoot me down, but I won't fall I am titanium I am titanium Bad Style: Mixed Metaphors  Mixed metaphors are combinations of comparisons that do not go well together.  Mixed metaphors occur when writers string together clichés (overused expressions).  A mixed metaphor does not really make sense, absurb and/or irrational Examples: “water the spark of knowledge till it bears fruit” “…take arms against a sea of troubles” “My tears will burn the pillow” (Lyrics of “All Cried Out”) We were flying through a sea of success. If we want to get ahead we'll have to iron out the remaining bottlenecks Metaphor vs Symbolism A metaphor is a direct substitution of one idea or object for another. This means that a metaphor means something other than what it means. A symbolism means what is stated and also something else. It helps convey meaning of larger/abstract concepts. Personification  Personification is giving human qualities to an object, animal or abstract quality such as justice or love.  Personification in poetry is often, though not necessarily, indicated through capitalization e.g. “Nor shall Death brag thou wand’rest in his shade”.  Sometimes, inanimate objects are given animal characteristics, e.g. “the years shall run like rabbits” You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes You’re paralyzed ‘Cause this is thriller, thriller night And no one’s gonna save you from the beast about to strike. “Thriller” by Micheal Jackson Transferred Epithet (Hypallate) A transferred epithet is a figure of speech in which the characteristics of one thing are transferred to another thing that is closely related to it. Examples: “He sat in his lonely room.” (He is lonely, not the room.) “Angry cars honked at us as we crossed the busy street.” (It is the drivers who are angry, not the cars.) “Anthem for Doomed Youth” by Wilfred Owen What passing-bells for these from sad shires. who die as cattle? — Only the monstrous anger What candles may be held to of the guns. speed them all? Only the stuttering rifles' Not in the hands of boys, but rapid rattle in their eyes Can patter out their hasty Shall shine the holy glimmers of orisons. goodbyes. No mockeries now for them; no The pallor of girls' brows prayers nor bells; shall be their pall; Nor any voice of mourning Their flowers the tenderness of save the choirs,— patient minds, The shrill, demented choirs of And each slow dusk a drawing- wailing shells; down of blinds. And bugles calling for them Apostrophe  When poets use apostrophe, it means they address a thing or quality, or even an absent (or dead) person as if it were present or alive and could reply.  Very often (but not always!) an apostrophe begins with “O”. Examples:  “O wild West Wind, thou breath of autumn’s being!”  "Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art”  “Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are” Excerpt from “Ode to a Grecian Urn” by John Keats Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness, Thou foster-child of silence and slow time, Sylvan historian, who canst thus express A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme: What leaf-fring'd legend haunts about thy shape Of deities or mortals, or of both, In Tempe or the dales of Arcady? What men or gods are these? What maidens loth? What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape? What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy? “Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud” by John Donne Death, be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so; For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me. From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow, And soonest our best men with thee do go, Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery. Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell, And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then? One short sleep past, we wake eternally And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die. “The Sick Rose” by William Blake O Rose thou art sick. The invisible worm, That flies in the night In the howling storm: Has found out thy bed Of crimson joy: And his dark secret love Does thy life destroy. Excerpt from “The Sound of Silence” by The Disturbed Hello darkness, my old friend I've come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creeping Left its seeds while I was sleeping And the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains Within the sound of silence In restless dreams, I walked alone Narrow streets of cobblestone 'Neath the halo of a street lamp I turned my collar to the cold and damp When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light That split the night And touched the sound of silence Hyperbole/overstatement A hyperbole is simply an exaggeration. It is another commonly-used figure of speech. Examples:  “He moved faster than a speeding bullet.”  “This detergent makes your clothes whiter than white.”  “I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse.”  “I’ve told you a thousand times to tidy up your room!” “I wondered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth I wandered lonely as a cloud Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: That floats on high o'er vales and A poet could not but be gay, hills, In such a jocund company: When all at once I saw a crowd, I gazed—and gazed—but little A host, of golden daffodils; thought Beside the lake, beneath the trees, What wealth the show to me had Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. brought: Continuous as the stars that shine For oft, when on my couch I lie And twinkle on the milky way, In vacant or in pensive mood, They stretched in never-ending line They flash upon that inward eye Along the margin of a bay: Which is the bliss of solitude; Ten thousand saw I at a glance, And then my heart with pleasure fills, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. And dances with the daffodils. The waves beside them danced; but they Understatement  Understatement is a device in poetry in which something is deliberately described as being less than what it actually is. Example: “Hitting that telephone pole certainly didn't do your car any good.” “It’s rather warm.” (Said on a very hot day.) “I’m just a little impaired.” (Meaning, I’m crazy.)  Understatement is sometimes used to achieve the effect of irony. (In irony, what is said is usually the opposite of what is actually meant.) There are two main types: Meiosis and Litotes Meiosis: understatement that is witty. Used to dismiss or belittle someone. Litotes: Understatement where an affirmative is expressed by the negative of the contrary (eg: not too shabby, not the worst day ever) “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice. Figures of Speech Part 2  Metonymy A figure of speech where the name of one thing is replaced with that of something else which is closely related to it.  “He loved the bottle too much.” (referring to alcohol)  “She works with the press.” (referring to journalism)  “The White House” (the US president) “Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears.” (Julius Caesar, W. Shakespeare) Excerpt from “Ode to a Nightingale” by John Keats O, for a draught of vintage! that hath been Cool’d a long age in the deep-delved earth, Tasting of Flora and the country green, Dance, and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth! “Out, Out ” by Robert Frost 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. And from there those that lifted eyes could count Five mountain ranges one behind the other Under the sunset far into Vermont. And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled, As it ran light, or had to bear a load. And nothing happened: day was all but done. Call it a day, I wish they might have said To please the boy by giving him the half hour That a boy counts so much when saved from work. His sister stood beside him in her apron To tell them ‘Supper.’ At the word, the saw, As if to prove saws knew what supper meant, Leaped out at the boy’s hand, or seemed to leap— He must have given the hand. However it was, Neither refused the meeting. But the hand! The boy’s first outcry was a rueful laugh, As he swung toward them holding up the hand Half in appeal, but half as if to keep The life from spilling. Then the boy saw all— Since he was old enough to know, big boy Doing a man’s work, though a child at heart— He saw all spoiled. ‘Don’t let him cut my hand off— The doctor, when he comes. Don’t let him, sister!’ So. But the hand was gone already. The doctor put him in the dark of ether. He lay and puffed his lips out with his breath. And then—the watcher at his pulse took fright. No one believed. They listened at his heart. Little—less—nothing!—and that ended it. No more to build on there. And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs. Synecdoche A figure of speech where the significant part is used to represent the whole.  “They need a roof over their head.” ( a house)  I miss my own four walls. (my room/house).  “Nice wheels!” (referring to a vehicle)  Three heads are better than one. (Three people thinking about something will achieve faster/better results.) Parts representing a whole Whole representing a part Class to represent a whole Paradox A statement that at first glance seems to contradict itself, but then shows a deeper, logical meaning.  “The child is father of the man.”  Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.  Act naturally. * “Act naturally” is a kind of paradox known as an oxymoron. Paradox is used to show a deeper truth “the beginning of the end” “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” (Orwell, Animal Farm) Excerpt from “Tuft of Flowers” by Robert Frost I went to turn the grass once after one Who mowed it in the dew before the sun. The dew was gone that made his blade so keen Before I came to view the levelled scene. I looked for him behind an isle of trees; I listened for his whetstone on the breeze. But he had gone his way, the grass all mown, And I must be, as he had been,—alone, ‘As all must be,’ I said within my heart, ‘Whether they work together or apart.’ Oxymoron A kind of compressed paradox, combining two contradictory terms.  “bittersweet”, “sweet-sour”  “living hell”  You are my only choice. “Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow That I shall say good night till it be morrow” (From Romeo and Juliet by W. Shakespeare) “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” by Dylan Thomas Do not go gentle into that good night, way, Old age should burn and rave at close of Do not go gentle into that good night. day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Though wise men at their end know dark Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and is right, be gay, Because their words had forked no Rage, rage against the dying of the light. lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Good men, the last wave by, crying how Curse, bless, me now with your fierce bright tears, I pray. Their frail deeds might have danced in a Do not go gentle into that good night. green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its Pun A pun is a play on words, using a word with two meanings, or two words that sound alike or two words that are spelled alike, usually for humorous effect. Many jokes involve puns. A pun using a term with more than one meaning: Puns using a word that sounds like another word: The word “kneaded” sounds the same as “needed”. The word “ewe” sounds the same as “you”. A pun using two words that are similar: The word “consonant” has similar letters and sounds similar to the word “continent”.  “The population of Ireland is always Dublin” “Now is the winter of our discontent. Made glorious summer by this sun of York” (Richard III by W. Shakespeare) From Romeo and Juliet by W. Shakespeare Mercutio: No, ’tis not so deep as a well nor so wide as a church- door, but ’tis enough, ’twill serve. Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man. I am peppered, I warrant, for this world. A plague o’ both your houses! Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a cat to scratch a man to death! From Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll Mouse: Mine is a long and a sad tale!’ said the Mouse, turning to Alice, and sighing. ‘It is a long tail, certainly,’ said Alice, looking down with wonder at the Mouse’s tail; ‘but why do you call it sad?’ And she kept on puzzling about it while the Mouse was speaking.  Periphrasis/circumlocution  Saying something in a roundabout manner.  “My father’s brother’s daughter.”  “the room that makes the rain” (the bathroom)  “the finny tribe” (fish)  a “sight-invigorating tube” (a telescope) Euphemism A euphemism is also a kind of periphrasis, in which an improper or possibly offensive term is described in a roundabout manner:  “pass away” (die)  “be in a family way” (old fashioned way of saying pregnant)  "lady of the night" or "working girl" (prostitute)  Also, “politically correct” terms like “disabled” (handicapped) e.g. “visually disabled” (blind), “vertically challenged” (short)  Excerpt from Macbeth by W. Shakespeare To beguile the time, Look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye, Your hand, your tongue. Look like th’ innocent flower, But be the serpent under ’t. He that’s coming Must be provided for; and you shall put This night’s great business into my dispatch, Which shall to all our nights and days to come Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom Identify the figures of speech found in the following:  We must use passive aggression.  We need some strong arms to carry this.  Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines.  The engine purred.  Even though it was as hot as hell, she was as fresh as a daisy.  The seven stars go squawking like geese about the sky.  The difference between a prince and a father with a beard is that one is the heir apparent, the other is a hairy parent. Dust of Snow Snow on Frost The way a crow A wayward crow Shook down on me Shook down on him The dust of snow The dust of snow From a Hemlock tree From a hemlock limb. Has given my heart Amused (I recall) A change of mood The poet stopped, And saved some part Delighted that's all Of a day I had rued The black bird dropped. -Robert Frost -Bob McKenty