Literary Devices used in a Lyrical Ballad
Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
To point out some of the several literacy devices used in a lyrical
ballad, Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge has been
chosen. The literary devices explained with examples from the ballad
include alliteration, anaphora, assonance, consonance, elision, hyperbole,
imagery, inversion, irony, metaphor, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, paradox,
personification, rhyme scheme, simile and symbols.
Alliteration:
Alliteration is a literary device where words are used in quick
succession and begin with letters belonging to the same sound group.
Whether it is the consonant sound or a specific vowel group, the
alliteration involves creating a repetition of similar sounds in the
sentence. Alliterations are also created when the words all begin with the
same letter. Alliterations are used to add character to the writing. For
example in part 2, line 102-103;
The breezes blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow follow'd free:
The bold word is an example of alliteration in the poem.
Anaphora:
The term anaphora refers to a type of parallelism created when
successive phrases or lines begin with the same words. The repetition can
be as simple as a single word or as long as an entire phrase. For example
in part 1, line 27-28:
Below the Kirk, below the Hill,
Below the Light-house top.
Here, 'below' is used as anaphora to create a litany and rhyme.
Assonance:
It is the effect created when there is a repetition of a vowel sound
in stressed syllables with different consonant sounds. Assonance can be
understood to be a kind of alliteration. What sets it apart from
alliterations is that it is the repetition of only vowel sounds. This
effect is used widely throughout the ballad to establish its rhythm. For
example in part 1, line 21-22:
The Ship was cheer'd, the Harbour clear'd--
Merrily did we drop
Assonance appears in the long 'e' sound in cheer'd and clear'd.
Consonance:
Consonance refers to repetition of sounds in quick succession produced
by consonants within a sentence or phrase. The repetitive sound is often
found at the end of a word. Consonance is the opposite of assonance. For
example in part 1, line 27-28:
And he shone bright, and on the right
Went down into the Sea.
The words 'bright' and 'right' have the same last consonants, creating
the effect of consonance.
Elision:
Elision refers to the leaving out of an unstressed syllable or vowel,
usually in order to keep a regular meter in a line of poetry. It is the
deliberate omission of a sound between two words. In Rime of the Ancient
Mariner, elision is used repeatedly:
It crack'd and growl'd, and roar'd and howl'd--
Like noises of a swound. (Line 61-62)
It ate the food it ne'er had eat,
And round and round it flew. (Line 67-68)
And I had done a hellish thing,
And it would work 'em woe: (Line 91-92)
The highlighted words are examples of elision.
Hyperbole:
A hyperbole is a literary device wherein the author uses specific
words and phrases that exaggerate and overemphasize the basic crux of the
statement in order to produce a grander, more noticeable effect. The
purpose of hyperbole is to create a larger-than-life effect and overly
stress a specific point. Such sentences usually convey an action or
sentiment that is generally not practically or realistically possible or
plausible but helps emphasize an emotion. For example in lines
As idle as a painted Ship
Upon a painted Ocean. (Line 117-118)
This hyperbole is used because it stretches the truth so that we
understand how still the boat is.
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink. (Line 121-122)
The poet has used exaggeration to define the ancient mariner's thirst
when he is stranded in the ocean and how he can't drink a drop of that huge
mass of water.
Imagery:
In poetry, one of the strongest devices is imagery when the poet uses
words and phrases to create 'mental images' for the reader. Imagery helps
the reader to visualize and hence more realistically experience the
author's writings. The usage of descriptive words and similes, amongst
other literary forms, in order to awaken the readers' sensory perceptions
is referred to as imagery. Imagery is not limited to only visual
sensations, but also refers to sensations of taste, smell, touch and
hearing as well. For example
The ice was here, the ice was there,
The ice was all around:
It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,
Like noises in a swound! (Line 59-62)
These lines appeal specifically to the sense of sight and hearing when
the ice is described as cracking, growling, roaring and howling noises.
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink. (Lines 121-122)
These lines portray the intense thirst the narrator felt which plays
with the reader's sense of taste.
Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs
Upon the slimy sea. (Lines 125-126)
These lines appeal to the sense of touch because we are repulsed by
the reading the description of 'slimy insects' with their legs and the sea
as 'slimy'.
Inversion:
The term 'inversion' refers to the practice of changing the
conventional placement of words. It is a literary practice typical of the
classical poetry. It is usually used for the purpose of laying emphasis. It
helps to arrange the poem in a manner that catches the attention of the
reader not only with its content but also with its physical appearance; a
result of the peculiar structuring. For example Coleridge inverts the word
order from time to time, as the following lines demonstrate:
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung. (Lines 141-142)
The normal word order of this line would be 'was hung about my neck'.
The naked hulk alongside came (line 195)
Here the normal word order would be 'came alongside'.
Irony:
The use of irony refers to playing around with words such that the
meaning implied by a sentence or word is actually different from the
literal meaning derived. Often, irony is used to suggest the stark contrast
of the literal meaning being put forth. The deeper, real layer of
significance is revealed not by the words themselves but the situation and
the context in which they are placed. For example:
Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink. (Lines 119-122)
These lines signify that water is everywhere, but there is none to
actually drink.
Metaphor:
A metaphor refers to a meaning or identity ascribed to one subject by
way of another. In a metaphor, one subject is implied to be another so as
to draw a comparison between their similarities and shared traits. The
first subject, which is the focus of the sentences, is usually compared to
the second subject, which is used to convey a degree of meaning that is
used to characterize the first. The purpose of using a metaphor is to take
an identity or concept that we understand clearly (second subject) and use
it to better understand the lesser-known element (the first subject). For
example:
They coil'd and swam; and every track
Was a flash of golden fire. (Lines 281-282)
In the above stated lines, the metaphor is the comparison of the wake
of the waves left by the sea snakes with fire.
O happy living things! no tongue
Their beauty might declare:
A spring of love gushed from my heart,
And I blessèd them unaware: (Lines 282-285)
A 'spring of love gushed from my heart' is the metaphor used for love
in this line by Coleridge. It shows how beautiful the bride and groom
looked that the ancient mariner blessed them with a spring of love gushing
from his heart.
Onomatopoeia:
The term refers to words whose very sound is very close to the sound
they are meant to depict. In other words, it refers to sound words whose
pronunciation to the actual sound or noise they represent. For example
It crack'd and growl'd, and roar'd and howl'd (Line 61)
The words in bold are onomatopoeia i.e. when pronounced they portray
the sounds of actions they represent.
Oxymoron:
It allows the author to use contradictory, contrasting concepts placed
together in a manner that actually ends up making sense in a strange, and
slightly complex manner. An oxymoron is an interesting literary device
because it helps to perceive a deeper level of truth and explore different
layers of semantics while writing. For example:
And now there came both mist and snow,
And it grew wondrous cold: (Line 51-52)
The phrase wondrous cold is an oxymoron.
And through the drifts the snowy clifts
Did send a dismal sheen: (Line 55-56)
'Dismal sheen' is the oxymoron used in these lines.
Paradox:
A paradox refers to the use of concepts or ideas that are
contradictory to one another, yet, when placed together they hold
significant value on several levels. The uniqueness of paradoxes lies in
the fact that a deeper level of meaning and significance is not revealed at
first glance, but when it does crystallize, it provides astonishing
insight. For example:
Her beams bemocked the sultry main,
Like April hoar-frost spread;
But where the ship's huge shadow lay,
The charmèd water burnt alway
A still and awful red. (Lines 267-271)
This warring imagery of the moon spreads frosty colors across the
ship, but the water burns red in its shadow. While the moon might calm the
curse momentarily, it still lies beneath.
Personification:
Personification refers to the practice of attaching human traits and
characteristics with inanimate objects, phenomena and animals.
The Sun came up upon the left,
Out of the sea came he!
And he shone bright, and on the right
Went down into the sea. (Lines 25-28)
In these lines, the sun is personified as a human being.
Her beams bemocked the sultry main,
Like April hoar-frost spread; (Line 267-268)
The moon in these lines is personified as a mocking woman.
Rhyme Scheme:
It is the practice of rhyming words placed at the end of the lines.
Rhyme scheme refers to the order in which particular words rhyme. If the
alternate words rhyme, it is an "a-b-a-b" rhyme scheme, which means "a" is
the rhyme for the lines 1 and 3 and "b" is the rhyme affected in the lines
2 and 4. For example most stanzas in 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' have
four-lines, called a 'quatrain', but not all of the stanzas have exactly
four lines. The second and fourth line of each four-line stanza rhyme,
providing a song like rhythm; e.g. 'hand' and 'sand' in the first stanza.
But some stanzas have five lines. In these stanzas the second line rhymes
with the fifth, the third line rhymes with the fourth. Some stanzas contain
six lines. In these stanzas the second, fourth and sixth lines rhyme.
Simile:
It is the practice of drawing parallels or comparisons between two
unrelated and dissimilar things, people, beings, places and concepts. By
using similes a greater degree of meaning and understanding is attached to
an otherwise simple sentence. The reader is able to better understand the
sentiment the author wishes to convey. Similes are marked by the use of the
words 'as' or 'such as' or 'like'. For example
Every soul, it passed me by,
Like the whizz of my crossbow! (Lines 223-224)
In these lines, there is the comparison of the passing of a soul to
the sound of a shot arrow.
The sky and the sea, and the sea and the sky
Lay like a load on my weary eye (Lines 251-252)
Comparison of the sky and sea to a weight on the eye is the simile in
these lines.
Symbol:
A symbol is literary device that contains several layers of meaning,
often concealed at first sight, and is representative of several other
aspects or concepts and traits than those that are visible in the literal
translation alone. Symbol is using an object or action that means something
more than its literal meaning. For example, in the Rime of the Ancient
Mariner, the Mariner is an actual symbolic representation of Adam. The
Ancient Mariner slaying of the Albatross is equal to Adam and Eve eating
the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. The moon and sun also play
an important symbol in this story. The sun represents God's influence of
wrathful power but the moon has a more positive association than the sun.
Generally troubling outcome happens to the Mariner during the day while
more favorable result happens by moon light. For example, the mariner's
curse lifts and he returns home by moonlight.
Reference: http://literary-devices.com/
