Editor's Choice
Which three sound devices does Poe use in "Annabel Lee," and what are examples of each?
Quick answer:
In "Annabel Lee," Poe uses end rhymes, dashes, and repetition as sound devices. End rhymes like "sea," "Lee," and "me" create musical closure. Dashes force pauses, emphasizing words such as "yes!" Finally, repetition, especially of "beautiful Annabel Lee," provides a familiar refrain while subtly changing to reflect the speaker's evolving relationship with Annabel. These devices contribute to the poem's haunting melody.
First, end rhymes create a pleasing sense of musical closure and cadence in this poem. The last word of every stanza, which is either "me," "sea," or "Lee," is a rhyme, finishing each stanza with a sense that it is closed or complete. Further, end rhymes punctuate the poem throughout: in stanza one, for example, lines one and three end on the rhyming words: "ago" and "know," while stanzas two, four, and six introduce the most frequent rhymes in the poem: "sea," "Lee," and "me." End rhymes are one of the most traditional sound effects used to structure a poem and have remained enduringly popular because they sound so pleasing to the ear.
Silence is also a sound device, as evidenced by the importance of rests in music. We can hardly imagine Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, for example, being the same without its pregnant pauses that build excitement and anticipation. Poe...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
does the same with the use of dashes. Dashes are the one strongest forms of punctuation, as they stop us cold and force a pause. The pause brings attention to the word or words that follow. Poe uses this when he writes:
The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me—
Yes!—
A third sound device Poe uses is repetition, which also produces a comforting sense of refrain, as in a song. By the time the poem is over, the verses feel familiar because of the repeated words, particularly the phrase "beautiful Annabel Lee." But—and this is a sign of poet who knows what he is doing—while Poe repeats the phrase, he also adds variety by switching from "my" to "the" "beautiful Annabel Lee." Not only is the slight variation pleasing to the ear, it indicates the speaker is moving from possessing Annabel to releasing her to world.
Edgar Allan Poe employs several literary devices throughout his poem "Annabel Lee" that create a moving rhythm and atmosphere.
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in two or more words that are located near one another, such as the following:
- "In this kingdom"
- "out of a cloud"
- "shut her up in a sepulchre"
Alliteration is a stylistic device in which words beginning with the same first consonant occur together in a series, such as the following:
- "The angels, not half so happy in heaven"
- "Of those who were older than we"
- "Nor the demons down under the sea"
Edgar Allan Poe also utilizes internal rhyme schemes throughout this poem. Internal rhyme is the rhyming of words within the same line of poetry, such as the following:
- "Chilling and killing"
- "Can ever dissever"
- "For the moon never beams, without bringing me dream"
- "And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes"
Sibilance is a literary device where strongly stressed consonants, which produce hissing sounds, are used in quick succession, such as the following:
- "dissever my soul from the soul"
References