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In the poem “There But for the Grace” the poet writes about the role of chance in one’s life. Write an essay analyzing how the poet uses sound devices to convey a theme in the poem.

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Answer: For example, in "There was a rail, a hook, a beam, a brake...", the one-syllable words do create a sense of rhythm while describing several items that only by chance helped some people escape.

In "Because rain fell. Because a shadow fell. Because sunny weather prevailed" there´s an example of assonance, meaning there´s a repetition of vowel sounds with non-rhyming words, that refers to the many different circumstances that became a chance for survival.

Step-by-step explanation:

The theme in this poem refers to the author, and many others, surviving the Holocaust as a matter of luck and good chances. That´s why a poem full of rhymes that usually provide a cheerful tone, would not be suitable in this case. Other sound devices, such as assonance, prevail.

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