Alliteration is one of the easiest and most fun literary tools under a writer’s belt. Creating a lyrical sound and a sing-song pattern, alliteration makes texts memorable and fun to read. While used across all genres, alliteration is most prominent in children’s literature.
What is Alliteration?
Properly defined, Alliteration is a literary device identified by the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of two or more words in a phrase or sentence. It is used to create a musical effect and to emphasize certain words. Alliteration is commonly used across all genres of writing but particularly prominent in poetry, children’s literature, and advertising to create a catchy, memorable effect and on the extreme end of the spectrum, fun for those who enjoy tongue twisters. An example you might recognize from your childhood is, “Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”
How to pronounce Alliteration?
When do writers use Alliteration?
Alliteration is used to enhance the sound, rhythm, and language in a piece of writing. For something so simple to use, it is one of the most powerful literary devices a writer can use. Alliteration breaks the linear pattern of a sentence or line by adding a musical quality to the works that impacts the reader. Writer’s use alliteration when they want their words to be memorable or to emphasize a particular sentiment or idea.
Alliteration in Literature 📚
One of the greatest and most famous examples of alliteration comes from Shakespeare, of course. The passage we’re referring to is “The Witches Song” from MacBeth. Carefully woven into the tragedy of the play, the poem is literally loaded with alliteration. Note the bolded phrases in the poem.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Cool it with a baboon’s blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.
While not quite as apparent, J.K. Rowling also uses alliteration to drive home the point that Harry’s is the twin to Voldemort’s. Note the bolded words in this passage from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone:
“He put Harry’s wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, “Curious . . . curious . . .”
“Sorry,” said Harry, “but what’s curious?”
Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.
“I remember every wand I’ve ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother — why, its brother gave you that scar.”
Harry swallowed.”
Unlike the previous example, what is important to note in this passage is that the repetition of the consonants does not have to be right next to each other. They simply need to be close as illustrated in the passage from Harry Potter.
Alliteration in Songs 🎧
In song lyrics, it can reasonably be argued that rap lyrics offer a treasure trove of examples for multiple literary devices. For example, Eminem’s lyrics to “Rap God” are one such example. The second verse goes:
“I’m beginnin’ to feel like a Rap God, Rap God
All my people from the front to the back nod, back nod
Now, who thinks their arms are long enough to slap box, slap box?They said I rap like a robot, so call me Rap-bot”
To be fair, there is a lot to unpack here, but the focus is on his alliteration technique. The mirrored repetition combined with the way he breaks up the words to break the rhythm in the last line is just genius. To get the full effect, try reading the verse out loud.
Another great example is the classic, “We Will Rock You” from Queen. Look at the chorus and the first two verses:
“Buddy, you’re a boy, make a big noise
Playing in the street, gonna be a big man someday
You got mud on your face, you big disgrace
Kicking your can all over the place, singin’
We will, we will rock you
We will, we will rock you
Buddy, you’re a young man, hard man
Shouting in the street, gonna take on the world someday
You got blood on your face, you big disgrace
Waving your banner all over the place”
What’s interesting to note in these two verses is the way the alliteration alternates to break up the rhythm in a way that creates a sound that imitates the actual sound of the music when played/sung out loud.
Alliteration in Poetry ✍🏽
Oftentimes, it is much easier to spot alliteration in poetry. The lines are shorter, not particularly conversational, and generally more rhythmic. One of the most famous, and a personal favorite, examples of alliteration is found in Poe’s “The Raven” –
“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before”
In these lines, the lyric, musical quality the alliterations contributes to is unmistakable, making the two lines near unforgettable. While Poe may be hard to top, many excellent examples of alliteration may be found in other poems as well. Another memorable example may be found in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge:
“The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free;
We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea. “
Coleridge’s poem also offers many other examples but the repetition of the “f” and the “s” sounds in these lines help to create both visual and auditory image of the scene being described. The third example
The first example demonstrates how alliteration contributes to the musical quality of a poem, the second how it can affect the senses, and the third is one of the rhythmic qualities alliteration can lend to a poem.
“Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?”
Throughout William Blake’s “The Tyger,” alliteration appears most frequently as illustrated here in the first stanza of the poem. When read, the first line, with its two separate instances of alliteration side-by-side, really sets the pace and flow of the poem while the “f” sounds in the question slow down the pace, forcing the reader to pause and consider what is being said before continuing.
Alliteration in Advertising 📺
Another popular arena where alliteration thrives is the world of advertising. Some of the most successful ad campaigns include:
- McDonald’s — “Big. Beefy. Bliss”
- Jaquar — “Don’t Dream It. Drive It”
- AOL — “Welcome to the World Wide Wow