Etymology and Meanings of Literary Device Alliteration
The literary device, alliteration, mostly used in poetic diction, has originated from the Latin terms ad and litter, or alliteratio which relates to letters. It later turned into alliteration in the early 17th century.
Grammatically, the literary device alliteration is a singular noun with plural alliterations. In poetic diction or literary terms, it relates to the sound of the words, becoming an integral part of the metrical pattern in poetry.
Definition of Literary Device Alliteration
In literature or in poetic diction, the literary device alliteration means the use of initial consonant sounds in the words adjacent to each other. It often happens as the head rhyme or initial rhyme or even without any rhyme scheme. The words could occur in the middle of the verse or in the end or even in the beginning. There is no restriction on it. Even in narrative diction, such sounds occur at different intervals.
Common Examples of Literary Device Alliteration
- Buy burgers
- Big bunnies
- Citing sites
- Dirty disks
- Red Rrobin
- American appeal
- Dirty dream
- Coca-Cola
Besides these common alliterative combinations, writers use several other such combinations to create alliterative sounds. Yet, it often happens in lyrics more than poems and narrations.
Literary Examples of Alliteration
Example # 1
From “Bill Gets Burned” by Phelps Putnam
Bill Williams was in Hell without a guide
And wandering around alone and cold,
Hoping for fires, for he said, “The name
Of Hell is not enough to keep the old
Place dignified without a flame.”
Bill was a hero, so he wandered on.
This poem “Bill Gets Burned” by Phelps Putnam shows the use of alliteration in its third line where the sound of /f/ in the initials of two successive words shows how melodious it seems to the readers. Although the sound of /a/, too, occurs repeatedly in the initials of the three successive words in the second line, it is not an alliteration.
Example # 2
From Hamlet by William Shakespeare
There’s such divinity doth hedge a king
That treason can but peep to what it would.
Although there is another word between two words having the initial sound of /w/, it is a very good alliteration taken from Hamlet, a masterpiece of William Shakespeare.
Example # 3
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss.
These two verses occur in the popular Shakespearean play, Romeo and Juliet. Here both sounds /h/ and /p/ occurs in successive words, making these verses more melodious than the succeeding or preceding verses.
Example # 4
From Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare
Though it be honest, it is never good
To bring bad news.
The occurrence of the /b/ sound in the initials of two successive words in these two verses shows how Shakespeare is adept in using alliteration to create a melody in his verses.
Example # 5
From “Will You Be There” by Michael Jackson
Weary, tell me will you hold me
When wrong, will you scold me
When lost will you find me?
But they told me a man should be faithful
And walk when not able
And fight till the end but I’m only human
These verses occur in Michael Jackson’s song, “Will You Be There” which shows the use of alliteration through the sounds of /w/, /m/, and again /w/ in three verses. Although the sound of /m/ occurs not in two successive words, the presence of a vowel between them does not pose any obstruction to create melodious impacts or change the metrical pattern.
Example # 6
From Trying to Get To You” by Elvis Presley
Well, there’s nothing that could hold me
Or that could keep me away from you
When your loving letter told me
That you really loved me true
The sound of /k/ occurs in the initials of two successive words in the second verse of this stanza taken from the song of Elis Presley “Trying to Get to You.” The readers immediately feel the rhythmic effects of this alliteration.
How to Create Alliteration
A writer can easily create alliterations in his writing disregarding the type of writing. However, an alliteration creates rhythm in poetic diction, though it creates almost the same musical quality in prose as well. The easiest way to include alliterative sounds in prose or poetry is to find the words that start with the same consonant sounds. Therefore, keep these points in mind when writing something.
- Plan what you are going to write in genre or form.
- Create Sounds having initial consonants in successive words.
- Join words having the same initial consonants in a single sentence.
- Practice it daily and read it aloud. You will feel the impact of sounds in your writing.
Benefits of Using Alliteration
- Creating Rhythm
- Creating Mnemonic Examples
- Memory Assistance
- Creating Metrical Pattern
Literary Device Alliteration in Literary Theory
- Uses in Russian Formalism Literary Theory: Alliterations are an integral part of formalist criticism of poetry as they are poetic terms. They create melody and make audiences and readers enjoy the rhythm of poetry. However, their main task is to assist in creating thematic strands and help the poet reach the readers making them remember his message easily.
- Uses in Rhetoric: Alliterations help the writers to make their texts persuasive and rhetorically appealing. They help them make their readers pay attention and be convinced.
- Uses in Psychoanalytic Literary Theory: Alliterations help writers to create psychologically appealing sounds to make their message enter the psyche of the readers easily.
- Besides other theoretical perspectives, alliterations are also important in the reader’s response theory, Marxism, humanism, and any new theorization of some poetic idea as they are important to create rhythm, rhyme, and metrical patterns or understand them.
Suggested Readings
Abrams, Meyer Howard, and Geoffrey Harpham. A Glossary Of Literary Terms. Cengage Learning, 2014.
Baldick, Chris. The Concise Oxford Dictionary Of Literary Terms. Oxford University Press, 1996. Blake, N. F. “Rhythmical Alliteration.” Modern Philology, vol. 67, no. 2, 1969, pp. 118–124. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/436000. Accessed 16 June 2021.