Final answer:
The 'Money' poem by Reginald Gibbons uses alliteration and consonance to create rhythmic effects and texture, enhancing the poem's thematic contrast between pastoral imagery and violent realities.
Step-by-step explanation:
The poem 'Money' by Reginald Gibbons employs literary devices such as alliteration and consonance to enhance its sonic quality and thematic resonance. Alliteration, the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, is used throughout the poem to create a rhythmic effect. For instance, phrases like 'poems, ends tossed out' capture the reader's ear with the repetition of the 'p' and 't' sounds. Consonance, which is the repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words, also contributes to the texture of the poem, enriching its acoustic complexity and aiding to unify the lines. Consonance is evident in lines like 'A poem I would gift my mother' where the 'm' sound is subtly repeated.
Moreover, the poem's engagement with sound devices is meaningful in the context of the themes it grapples with, as seen in the stark juxtaposition of a pastoral scene with the violent image of a child stepping on a mine. Gibbons's poem navigates these contrasts using the harmony and dissonance of sound, just as the subjects of the poem reflect harmony and dissonance in life.