Literary Device: Alliteration
Lines of text that feature repeated consonant sounds
(consonance) or vowel sounds (assonance).
Example:
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers?
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper
picked?
Is the tongue-twister above an example of consonance or assonance alliteration?
“The Tyger”
William Blake
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
“The Tyger” – Author’s Purpose
• Using an A, B, C, D notation, examine the rhyme scheme
of the poetic stanzas:
_____
_____
A _____
A
B _____
B
• How does the rhyme scheme impact the rhythm/tone of
the poem? How would you describe the sound of this
poem? Can you think of any other rhymes with a similar
sense of sound?
The rhyme scheme of Blake’s poem lends the lines a lyrical
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and singsong tone. The nature of the singsong and lyrical
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rhythm creates a secure, nostalgic feeling. Much like a
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nursery rhyme, the rhyme scheme of this poem establishes
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a flowing feeling corresponding with our own internal natural
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rhythms.
“The Tyger” – Author’s Purpose
•Locate and organize the various examples of alliteration
within the poem in the table below, listing the word and
line number:
Consonance
T–
Assonance
Tyger, Tyger (line 1) A –
twist, heart (line 10)
anvil, grasp (line 15)
dare, frame (line 24)
B – burning, bright (line 1) E – began, beat (line 11),
began, beat (line 11)
D – distant, deeps (line 5) I –
dare, deadly (line 16)
feet (line 12)
bright (line 1), night
(line 2); fire, thine (line 6)
F – frame, fearful (line 4) O –
frame, fearful (line 24)
S–
forest (line 2 & 22)
immortal (line 3 & 23)
deeps, skies (line 5) U – burning (line 1), fearful
(line 4); shoulder (line 9),
stars, spears (line 17)
could (line 10)
“The Tyger” – Author’s Purpose
• How does the alliteration impact the rhythm/tone of
the poem? Can you think of any other rhymes with
a similar sense of alliterative sound?
Much like the poem’s sense of rhyme, the alliteration
______________________________________________
heightens the sense of singsong or lyrical tone to the poem.
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
This written work can be easily compared to nursery rhymes
______________________________________________
such as “Mary Had a Little Lamb” due to the combined
______________________________________________
nature of AABB rhyme scheme and the tremendous amount
of alliteration present in each work.
______________________________________________
• Contrast the overall tone of Blake’s poem in regard to the poetic
rhythm vs. the tone or mood of the poem’s actual content:
Rhythmic Tone
Singsong, lyrical, nostalgic,
comforting, innocent
Tone of Subject Matter
Grim, dangerous,
apocalyptic, predatory
“The Tyger” – Author’s Purpose
• What do you think is the poet’s purpose in using this
particular rhyme scheme and such extensive alliteration
to explore this contrasting subject? How does the
alliteration and rhyme scheme impact the poem’s
meaning?
The poet employs a contrasting sense of poetic rhythm and
______________________________________________
subject matter to lull the reader into a false sense of security.
______________________________________________
On a first, superficial reading of Blake’s unusual poem the
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______________________________________________
reader may miss the full import of the written words. But
______________________________________________
upon closer inspection, a deeper analysis leads us to the full
poetic truth – Blake utilizes a seemingly innocuous rhyme
______________________________________________
scheme to explore a dangerous subject. The disconnect is
______________________________________________
shocking and reinforces our reaction the nature of the
______________________________________________
disturbing creature he is describing.
______________________________________________
Answer the essay question below:
• Within William Blake’s “The Tyger”, the poet
explores the coexistence of good and evil
through his examination of the fearsome
“tyger”. Using exact text evidence and
commentary, write a well-organized response
explaining how the use of both singsong
rhyme scheme and alliteration contrasts with
the grim focus of the poem and enhances the
poetic impact.
Red – Major Writing Task
Blue – Minor Insights/Instructions