Alliteration in literature emphasizes a point or makes it memorable. It’s used in prose to draw attention to a sentence and in character naming for memorable names. In poetry, it establishes rhythm and sound. Alliteration is the use of similar consonant sounds in words. It’s used in both prose and poetry, achieving different results. Alliteration is used to make a line stand out, create memorable character names, and establish sound in poetry.
The function of alliteration in literature is to provide emphasis on a particular point or to make some aspect of the work more memorable. In prose, for example, alliteration is often used to draw the reader’s attention to a particular sentence and make it stand out. Alliteration is also often used in character naming, to make them have more memorable names that are fun to say out loud. While the function of alliteration is much the same in both poetry and prose, poets often use it to establish a poem’s rhythm and for its aural qualities.
Alliteration in literature is the use of certain words together with similar consonant sounds, usually at the beginning or in the same place in each word. The very title of this article includes alliteration as it has a repetition of not only the “l” sound at the beginning of each word, but also the “t” sound following it. Alliteration is often used in both prose and poetry, although it can achieve different results in each form.
In prose, it is typically used to make a particular line stand out more than those around it. The final line of The Great Gats by F. Scott Fitzgerald provides an excellent example of alliteration in literature, consisting of “So we row on, boats against the current, brought back ceaselessly into the past.” This repetition of “b” sounds reinforces the initial beat idea stated in the phrase and creates a rhythm and sound within the line almost like a drum. Through alliteration in literature, Fitzgerald supported the idea presented in the line by using the words within it to evoke a sense of rhythm and by beating against an object such as a boat against the waves.
Alliteration is also frequently used by authors when making up character names. Names of popular comic characters such as Peter Parker, Bruce Banner and Clark Kent, as well as cartoon characters such as Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny all use alliteration. This creates names that are fun to say and hear, and easy to remember too.
The use of alliteration in literature commonly extends to poetry as well. In poetry, alliteration is often used for the way it makes a line or phrase sound. Since poems are often read aloud, this quality of sound that such words have may be much more important. The phrase “the sad uncertain rustle of silk of every purple curtain” in Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven features both alliteration and onomatopoeia. Poe’s choice of word and the sound of the “s” in those words are not only alliterative, but also create the very sound of those curtains rustling and moving together.
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