Analysing Alliteration

Introduction

Alliteration is the deliberate repetition of the same consonant sounds at the start of two or more words, but some broader definitions of this device also include vowel sounds or even when a writer repeats the same letter.

Since the repetition of sounds is quite conspicuous, most students will identify the use of alliteration and offer a straightforward comment on how it emphasises a significant idea or it creates a particular rhythm which conveys the tone of that moment in the story. However, to achieve the top grades, most mark schemes will expect the student to explain and evaluate the image.

The following guide will help you develop your analysis into a more precise and detailed response.

Identifying Alliteration

Many essays will state the writer has used alliteration and simply offer a quotation which contains the technique. For example:

In “Sonnet 12”, Shakespeare uses alliteration to emphasise the progress of time: “When I do count the clock that tells the time”. The writer is suggesting that even youthful “beauty” will age and wither.

There is nothing wrong with this comment and interpretation, but it does not pinpoint the actual alliteration. In order to improve the accuracy of your analysis, you could identify the sounds that are being repeated in the quotation by underlining the letters:

In “Sonnet 12”, Shakespeare uses alliteration to emphasise the progress of time: “When I do count the clock that tells the time”.

Or you could attempt to integrate the reference into your sentence:

In “Sonnet 12”, Shakespeare’s use of alliteration in “count” and “clock”, and “tells” and “time” emphasises the progress of time by mimicking its regular rhythm.

Admittedly, this is easier if you are only referring to one example of alliteration because the sentence can become confusing.

You could then go a step further and reference the alliteration in the next sentence:

In “Sonnet 12”, Shakespeare uses alliteration to emphasise the progress of time: “When I do count the clock that tells the time”. The repetition of the /k/ and /t/ sounds beat out the regular rhythm of time.

Evaluating the Sounds

Since form should always support meaning in a story, the use of alliteration must reinforce the writer’s intentions. In the previous example, the repetition of consonant sounds obviously conveyed the relentless passage of time. However, the choice of harsh sounds also hints at a negative reading of the line. By identifying the quality of the sounds being repeated, you can improve your analysis. For example:

In the opening line of “Sonnet 12”, Shakespeare uses alliteration to emphasise the ruthless progress of time: “When I do count the clock that tells the time”. The repetition of the harsh consonant /k/ and /t/ sounds beat out the destructive rhythm of time.

Sounds can be soft, hushed, soothing, playful, confident, bitter, aggressive or even quite violent. It is up to you to evaluate how their quality creates an appropriate tone and impacts the reader. You could also mention whether they are consonant or vowel sounds. Note how this example also locates the quotation the poem.

Alliteration in Poetry

If a poet uses alliteration to draw the reader’s attention to an image, they are probably manipulating the shape and rhythm of the line. In our example from “Sonnet 12”, Shakespeare emphasises the alliteration by making sure the stressed syllables of his iambic pentameter all on those words. Therefore, identifying the structure of the line could help support your interpretation of the alliteration.