Assonance and Alliteration: Can You Repeat That?

Assonance and alliteration mean repeating sounds. Assonance is the repetition of a vowel sound, and alliteration is the repetition of a consonant or vowel at the beginnings of words.

Poet Kurt Cyrus uses these tools brilliantly. Check out this poem from his wonderful picture book, Hotel Deep.

The belch of a blowfish. The bark of a seal.
The murmuring turn of the tide.
The walloping, wallowing yawn of an eel.
The silence of ships that have died.
Ripples come racing on crystal-blue rollers
With tidings from far and wide.

Can you hear the repetition? Belch, blowfish, bark. B, B, B. Murmuring turn. Hear the Rs?

Repetition of sounds like this makes a poem so much fun to read aloud, and I think it's one of the easiest tools to play with.

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