What literary techniques are evident in the following quote?
I read each bullet scar in the Quai stonework
With an eerie familiar feeling,
And started at the stricken, sunny exposure of pavement
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5Hi Jaydon; we've got certain restrictions on homework-type questions. In a nutshell, tell us your own progress and your attempts to answer the question. Don't just ask us the question you're supposed to answer; tell us why you're having trouble answering it. More details on homework question netiquette at meta.stackexchange.com/questions/10811/…– StandbackCommented Jun 18, 2011 at 18:42
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Also, you should have not deleted the migrated question english.stackexchange.com/questions/30388/literary-technique– UnreasonCommented Jun 20, 2011 at 14:10
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Lorem ipsum, dolor sit amet.– RolandiXorCommented Jun 22, 2011 at 2:26
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@Roland: you rang?– Lauren-Clear-Monica-IpsumCommented Jun 22, 2011 at 12:02
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@Lauren, haha sort of :D - your name partly inspired my comment (I was going to make it before seeing your name but then seeing your name sealed it ;). I wanted to point out in a subtle way: "Wrong kind of question for this site, don't expect a reasonable answer."– RolandiXorCommented Jun 22, 2011 at 12:18
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2 Answers
The only technique I can really suggest is one of alliteration, which is essentially the repetition of the same sound due to certain syllables within words, which form a pattern or beat of sorts, imposing a shape on the lines.
If you re-read the final line and place emphasis on the syllables, you notice "star-ted", "strick-en", and "sun-ny"; it seems the author is trying to put particular emphasis on the "s"-like syllables (the use of "scar" and "stone-work" in the first line suggests a link to the third due to this technique).
A similar technique is used in the second line with "fam-il-i-ar feel-ing" (the "f" sounds).
answered Jun 21, 2011 at 19:14
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def: Repeating the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words - therefore "ex-po-sure" does not qualify; you might also check out assonance– UnreasonCommented Jun 22, 2011 at 8:04
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@Unreason was thinking more of the 'sure' portion, but you are probably right. Commented Jun 22, 2011 at 8:26
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@Craig Sefton, exactly: '-sure' portion is not at the beginning, which is requirement for alliteration.– UnreasonCommented Jun 22, 2011 at 9:02
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@Unreason actually, in poetry it doesn't matter if the consonant is at the beginning or not. Commented Jun 22, 2011 at 9:32
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@Craig Sefton, reference? (are you sure you are not thinking about en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_consonance)– UnreasonCommented Jun 22, 2011 at 9:46
Pretentiousness.
answered Jun 18, 2011 at 17:56
Lauren-Clear-Monica-IpsumLauren-Clear-Monica-Ipsum
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