1. Getting Started
Let’s explore how sound and musicality are used in contemporary poetry.
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
- write a poem employing intentional musicality
- differentiate between assonance, consonance, alliteration, and internal rhyme
2. Video: Introducing Sound
Access a transcript of this video.
3. Approaches to Sound
Sound-work in contemporary poems is more complex than rhyme schemes. It’s helpful to think of the different sounds of letters as colors of paint on an artist’s palette. Some colors feel severe; others feel gentle. Some feel cold; others feel warm.
Just like colors of paint, sounds trigger feelings. The sharpness of the “c” and “t” in the word “cat” mimic the sharpness of claws or teeth. The “oh” and “sh” sounds in the word “ocean” mimic the sounds of wind and crashing waves. Poems use specific sound devices in order to emphasize sounds and enhance their effect on the reader.
Click through the image reel below to learn about four devices of musicality.
Access a transcript of this image reel.
4. Knowledge Check
“I bathed. I prayed. I drank the rain.”
Great job! You’re really getting the hang of this “musicality” thing.
Hmmm. Not quite. Click through the image reel once more, then try again.
5. Sound and Pattern
Some poems focus on sound as a central mechanic of the poem’s work. These poems often create patterns of sound across multiple lines, inviting the reader to move through the poem’s language in an experiential way, reveling in the intricate and unexpected combinations of sounds. These types of poems often feel very engaging because they invite us to move our mouths in order to experience the sounds in our own body.
Click on the image on the left to read “We Used Our Words We Used What Words We Had” by Franny Choi. Use the following questions to guide your reading:
- How many sound patterns can you find in this poem?
- What is the dominant letter-sound echoed throughout this poem?
- Where do the sounds in the poem break into a new pattern? Why do these moments matter?
- Read the poem aloud to yourself. How do these sounds feel in your mouth as you read?
9. Prompt: Sound
Try one of the following:
- Option 1: Write a poem that uses repetitious musicality. Let each line echo the sounds of 2-3 words in the previous line.
- Option 2: Write a poem that emphasizes two or three sounds in every line.
Share the resulting poem with some fellow writers whose opinions you trust, either informally or in a workshop setting. Ask them (and yourself) the following:
- How do the sounds in this poem contribute to its overall effect?
- Is the poem’s sound-work consistent enough to feel intentional?
- Where might the sound-work be made more effective?
- Does the poem’s rhythm feel appropriate to its subject?
- Would this poem be more impactful with a different approach to sound/rhythm?
10. Quiz: Understanding Sound
Want to test your knowledge? Try the following quiz. Identify the sound device at work in each of the following examples.
#1. “beautiful bodies bent back”
#2. “bookish dark”
#3. “our heads’ red maze”
#4. “wet bellies”
Results
Before You Go
Check out the following resources on sound-work in poetry:
- “Assonance.” (n.d.). Glossary of Poetic Terms. https://poets.org/glossary
- Collom, Jack & Sheryl Noethe. (2016). “On Sound and Rhythm: A Way to Start Teaching Poetry to Children and Young Adults.” https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/90338/on-sound-and-rhythm
- “Consonance.” (n.d.). Glossary of Poetic Terms. https://poets.org/glossary
- Oliver, Mary. (1994). “Sound.” A Poetry Handbook: A Prose Guide to Understanding and Writing Poetry. Harcourt.
- “Repetition.” (n.d.). Glossary of Poetic Terms. https://poets.org/glossary
- “Rhyme.” (n.d.). Glossary of Poetic Terms. https://poets.org/glossary
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