Example of Sound Devices

Contribution to text

Alliteration—“dull, dark, soundless day”

The first sentence establishes the bleakness of the story.

Repetition—“upon…” starting with “I looked upon the scene before me….”

The repetitive phrases emphasize the depression the narrator feels as he approaches the house.

Consonance--"Do I not distinguish that heavy and horrible beating of her heart?”

This enhances the rhythm and adds to the unified feeling of terror in the story.

Onomatopoeia—“…for, amid the rattling of the sashes of the casements, and the ordinary commingled noises of the still increasing storm.

This contributes to the feeling of growing terror.

Assonance—“An air of stern, deep, and irredeemable gloom hung over and pervaded all.”

This adds to the rhythm of the story as it builds up the sense of dread.

Rhyme—dominion/pinion; there/fair; sorrow/morrow

The rhyme of the poem mirrors the rhythm of Poe’s sentences.  The effect of the poem contributes to the deathly, morbid feel of the story.

Rhythm-- "Not hear it? --yes, I hear it, and have heard it. Long --long --long --many minutes, many hours, many days, have I heard it --yet I dared not --oh, pity me, miserable wretch that I am! --I dared not --I dared not speak!”

One of many parallel and balanced sentences that create a rhythm that adds to the unified effect of the story.