"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is famous for its use of vivid figurative language and memorable sound devices. What do you think are several especially effective examples of simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, assonance, and internal rhyme?
To identify several especially effective examples of simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, assonance, and internal rhyme in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, we can approach it by reading the poem and paying attention to the specific literary devices used.
1. Simile: A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison using "like" or "as." In the poem, one example of simile is:
- "And every tongue, through drowsy half-closed eyes, was withering like a leaf" (Simile compares tongues withering to a leaf withering).
2. Metaphor: A metaphor is a figure of speech that implies a comparison between two different things without using "like" or "as." An example of metaphor used in the poem is:
- "And the albatross begins to be avenged" (Metaphorically suggests that the mariner is facing the consequences of killing the albatross).
3. Personification: Personification gives human characteristics to inanimate objects or abstract ideas. An example of personification in the poem is:
- "The fair breeze blew; the white foam flew" (Personifies the breeze and foam, suggesting that they have a conscious action).
4. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of closely connected words. Examples of alliteration in the poem include:
- "The fair breeze blew" (Repetition of the 'b' sound)
- "With throats unslaked, with black lips baked" (Repetition of the 'l' and 'b' sounds)
5. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within words that are close together. An example of assonance is:
- "And now the storm-blast came, and he was tyrannous and strong" (Repetition of the 'a' sound)
6. Internal Rhyme: Internal rhyme refers to rhyming words within the same line of poetry. In "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," there are various instances of internal rhyme. One example is:
- "The selfsame moment I could pray; / And from my neck so free / The Albatross fell off, and sank / Like lead into the sea" (Internal rhyme occurs between "pray" and "sank").
By examining the poem closely and paying attention to the specific literary devices used, you can identify these effective examples of simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, assonance, and internal rhyme. Reading the poem aloud can also help in recognizing the use of sound devices like alliteration and assonance.