Question

Read the excerpt from "Serenade," by Edgar Allan Poe. And earth, and stars, and sea, and sky Are redolent of sleep, as I."

How does Poe use sound devices in the excerpt?
a. He uses alliteration to link images of night and sleep.
b. He uses assonance to echo the sounds of the night.
c. He uses near rhyme to increase the lyrical impact of his words.
d. He uses cacophony to create a disruption in the night.

Answer 1

a. He uses alliteration to link images of night and sleep.

Step-by-step explanation:

Alliteration is the continuous use of the same alphabet or letter in close quarters, or right next to each other. This occurrence of the same letter or sound in a sentence gives the flow of rhythm or sound of the sentence a continuous flow of the same consonant words. eg, lightning lights the lane.

In the same vein, Edgar Allen Poe's poem "Serenade" uses a lot of alliterative effects on the words. One example is the lines

"And earth, and stars, and sea, and sky Are redolent of sleep, as I."

In his description of the beauty of the night and the calmness and tranquility of the sea, he uses words which begins with the same consonant sounding letters "s"- stars, sea, sky, sleep. This continuous flow of the 's' word in a sentence is known as alliteration.

Answer 2

a. He uses alliteration to link images of night and sleep.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the poem 'Serenade', Edgar Allan Poe illustrates the beauty of night, its stillness and calmness when the unknown lover enjoys the serenity in the music of his love. In order to enhance the effect, Poe has used words like 'stars', 'sea', and 'sky', -- all similar sound and letter -- to create the images of night and sleep. The stillness of night is redolent of sleep while the nature in the form of sky, sea and star are all quiet like the lover who is sleepy in the ocean of love.