Sound Devices

Sound devices, often referred to as “musical devices,” elevate poetry to a unique art form. Robert Frost called his poems “talk-song” to emphasize their musical qualities. While 19th-century Romantics like Poe, Coleridge, and Swinburne indulged in the musicality of poetry, Frost preferred a more restrained approach. He coined the concept of “the sound of sense,” drawing inspiration from Wordsworth and Emerson while forging his own distinctive style. Frost’s poetry employs everyday speech rhythms and simple language, yet it is rich in traditional sound devices that enhance its beauty. Frost believed that poetry and music should not mix, preferring poems to be spoken rather than set to music.

Frost’s poems are abundant in alliteration, assonance, and consonance. These devices are integral to the craftsmanship of poetry, making language sound beautiful. Frost was a master of sound, famously stating, “The sound is the gold in the ore.”

In a 1959 taped discussion with Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren titled “Conversations on the Craft of Poetry,” Frost commented, “I can’t make certain word sounds go together; sometimes they won’t ‘say.’ This has to do with how one vowel runs into another, how one syllable merges into another. I change lines because something about them doesn’t sit right with my ear. This involves vowels and consonants, though I don’t want to overanalyze it.”

Frost’s use of sound devices was instinctive rather than premeditated. His intuitive grasp of how he wanted his poems to sound ensured that these elements were naturally present. Although he enjoyed writing rhymed poetry, Frost also composed blank verse, which is unrhymed iambic pentameter. Nearly all of his poems are highly metrical.

Assonance

Assonance is the repetition of similar vowel sounds in close proximity, with different end consonants, creating a vowel rhyme. For example, “same day” uses similar vowel sounds but different consonants. Assonance depends on sound, not spelling.

Examples:

• Nothing Gold Can Stay: “only so” (long ‘o’ sounds)
• Stopping by Woods: “the sweep / Of easy wind” (long ‘e’ sounds)
• Ghost House: “black bats” (repetition of ‘a’ sounds, both alliteration and assonance)
• The Black Cottage: “should sugar in the natal dew” (alliteration and assonance)
• The Silken Tent: “sunny summer” (alliteration and assonance)

Consonance

Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant sounds at the end of stressed syllables, with different vowel sounds, within or at the end of a line. For example, “bad and sod” repeats the ‘d’ sound.

Examples:

• Nothing Gold Can Stay: “dawn goes down” (repetition of ‘n’ sounds, both alliteration and consonance)
• Mowing: “sound beside the wood” (repetition of ‘d’ sounds)
• Tree at my Window: “could be profound” (repetition of ‘d’ sounds); “Mine with inner” (repetition of ‘n’ sounds)
• Looking for a Sunset Bird in Winter: “died of cold” (repetition of ‘d’ sounds); “thought…alight, sweet and swift” (repetition of ‘t’ sounds)
• The Vantage Point: “slope where the cattle keep” (repetition of ‘p’ sounds)

Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of initial sounds, usually consonants, in neighboring words or at short intervals within a line or passage. Effective alliteration creates a connection or contrast between ideas.

Examples:

• Nothing Gold Can Stay: “Green is gold” (repetition of ‘g’ sounds); “Her hardest hue to hold” (repetition of ‘h’ sounds); “dawn goes down to day” (repetition of ‘d’ sounds)
• Stopping by Woods: “the only other sound’s the sweep” (repetition of ‘o’ and ‘s’ sounds)
• Storm Fear: “When the wind whispers” (repetition of ‘w’ sounds, both alliteration and assonance); “the cold creeps” (repetition of ‘c’ sounds)
• Mending Wall: “old-stone savage” (repetition of ‘s’ sounds)
• The Silken Tent: “sunny summer” (repetition of ‘s’ sounds, both alliteration and assonance)

Rhyme

Rhyme is the repetition of the accented vowel sound and all succeeding sounds, such as in “old – cold” or “make – wake.” The rhyme pattern and the pairing of rhymes against the meaning are crucial. Frost often paired words that rhyme in uncommon contexts, avoiding clichéd rhymes like “life/wife.” His rhymes surprise readers with their sound quality and associations.

Example:

• Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening: Frost’s most brilliant rhyme scheme, where he rhymes three out of four lines in each stanza and interlocks the unrhymed word as the primary rhyme in the next stanza, creating a fluid and effortless poem.

Frost’s mastery of these sound devices demonstrates his technical skill and enhances the musical quality of his poetry, making his work timeless and resonant.