Music and Metaphor - Chapter 7 - Alliteration and Internal Rhyme Definitions

Alliteration and Internal Rhyme Definitions:

Assonance – The repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of similar words.

Repetition – In “After-Glow,” it’s the repetition of the word “know” and similarly the homonym “no.”

Alliteration – Repetition of the initial consonant sound in words or syllables.

“Tooth Fairy” examples

1. In the second line there is assonance in “glitter,” “slipped,” and “in”
2. In the first/second line there is also alliteration in “glue” and “glitter.”
3. In the third line there is alliteration with the words “without” and “waking.”
4. In the fourth line there is assonance with “rows” and “gold.”
5. In the fifth line there is assonance with “footprints” and “with.”
6. In the sixth line there is assonance with “quiet” and “it.”
7. In the seventh line there is alliteration with “mother” and “must.”
8. In the seventh and eighth lines there is alliteration with “been” and “beauty,” and there is also assonance with “been” and “then.”
9. In the tenth and eleventh lines there is assonance with “her” and “curtains.”
10. In the twelfth line there is assonance with “me” and “asleep.”
11. In the fourteenth and fifteenth lines there is alliteration with “followed,” “fists,” and “floor.”
12. In the fifteenth and sixteenth lines there is assonance with “fists” and “dishes.”
13. In the sixteenth and eighteenth lines there is assonance with “chainsmoking” and “punching.”
14. In the twentieth line there is assonance with “dresses” and “checkered.”
15. In the twenty-second line there is alliteration with “knife” and “night.”
16. In the twenty-third line there is assonance with “kicked,” “sister,” and “ribs.”
17. In the twenty-fourth line there MIGHT be assonance with “alone” and “Oregon.”
18. In the twenty-fifth line there is assonance with “slowly” and “disease.”
19. In the twenty-sixth line there is assonance with “face” and “gray.”
20. In the twenty-seventh line there is assonance with “clotted” and “socks.”
21. In the thirtieth line there is alliteration with “drink” and “dark.”
22. In the thirty-fifth line there is assonance with “rocking” and “closing.”
23. In the thirty-sixth line there is assonance with “eyes” and “surprised.”

Instructor Feedback
I'm going to say this again and again this week b/c it's worth saying two or three times: After tinkering and toying with words, you'll (if you haven't already, Jim:) develop a writerly instinct for the music embedded in language. That said, let me emphasize this invaluable lesson: know what devices help make the music and then you'll make our own. B/c you mentioned how tough this assignment was for you try this even if it sounds wierd: soak in a bathtub. Submerge your head in the water so that your ears are under too--both ears. Then read poems out loud. Or the newspaper. Or just talk to yourself, but do it out loud (who cares if everybody in your house thinks you've gone crazy!!) Doing this you'll hear the sounds words make a lot differently than speaking regularly. This may help you hear the music in a new way.
Gary