Eldorado
EDGAR ALLAN POE
Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.
But he grew old-
This knight so bold-
And o'er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.
And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow-
"Shadow," said he,
"Where can it be-
This land of Eldorado?"
"Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied-
"If you seek for Eldorado!"
ASSONANCE: Assonance is the noticeable repetition of vowel sounds throughout a piece of poetry to add emphasis to a specific element. Throughout this poem the long o is the specific vowel focused on, shown by the text in bold. The two most consistent words are "Eldorado" and "shadow," and this can signify something about the meaning of the poem; perhaps that everything brilliant still lives in the shadow of the incomparable Eldorado.
The Eagle
LORD ALFRED TENNYSON
He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.
CONSONANCE: Contrary to assonance, consonance focuses on the repetition of consonant sounds rather than vowel sounds. The text shown in bold within the poem shows the different forms of consonance within the first stanza. The sounds transform from a harsh c or k sound to a soft r sound with a repeated l in between. This creates a gradual build in the poem using sound, making a smooth transition to the second stanza and the ending.
Much Madness
EMILY DICKINSON
Much Madness is divinest Sense -
To a discerning Eye -
Much Sense - the starkest Madness -
’Tis the Majority
In this, as all, prevail -
Assent - and you are sane -
Demur - you’re straightway dangerous -
And handled with a Chain -
ALLITERATION: Alliteration describes a repetition found at the beginning of two or more words near each other to place emphasis on their interaction and significance. In this poem, the alliteration is very simple, only prevalent on the m sound. By writing "Much Madness" in the very beginning, Dickinson places major emphasis on the question of madness and whether it is beneficial or deteriorating to the mind.
EDGAR ALLAN POE
Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.
But he grew old-
This knight so bold-
And o'er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.
And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow-
"Shadow," said he,
"Where can it be-
This land of Eldorado?"
"Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied-
"If you seek for Eldorado!"
ASSONANCE: Assonance is the noticeable repetition of vowel sounds throughout a piece of poetry to add emphasis to a specific element. Throughout this poem the long o is the specific vowel focused on, shown by the text in bold. The two most consistent words are "Eldorado" and "shadow," and this can signify something about the meaning of the poem; perhaps that everything brilliant still lives in the shadow of the incomparable Eldorado.
The Eagle
LORD ALFRED TENNYSON
He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.
CONSONANCE: Contrary to assonance, consonance focuses on the repetition of consonant sounds rather than vowel sounds. The text shown in bold within the poem shows the different forms of consonance within the first stanza. The sounds transform from a harsh c or k sound to a soft r sound with a repeated l in between. This creates a gradual build in the poem using sound, making a smooth transition to the second stanza and the ending.
Much Madness
EMILY DICKINSON
Much Madness is divinest Sense -
To a discerning Eye -
Much Sense - the starkest Madness -
’Tis the Majority
In this, as all, prevail -
Assent - and you are sane -
Demur - you’re straightway dangerous -
And handled with a Chain -
ALLITERATION: Alliteration describes a repetition found at the beginning of two or more words near each other to place emphasis on their interaction and significance. In this poem, the alliteration is very simple, only prevalent on the m sound. By writing "Much Madness" in the very beginning, Dickinson places major emphasis on the question of madness and whether it is beneficial or deteriorating to the mind.