Literary Devices: Alliteration

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBQvnPGXywA&feature=youtu.be

SCRIPT:

Here’s the headline: ‘Gold as Gold’—and other alliterations

Short version: “Well-placed words that share sounds can add razz-a-ma-tazz to your writing.”

I’m Jim Lamb—let’s get started.

Listen carefully to these four lines from “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge:

“The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,

The furrow followed free;

We were the first that ever burst

Into that silent sea.”

Did you notice the words fair, foam, flew, furrow, followed, and free? All start with the F sound. All sound alike. That literary technique is called “alliteration.”

Let me expand that: Alliteration is the repetition of initial sounds in a string of words. This pattern helps make the groupings memorable.

I like alliterations. Why? Because they’re catchy ... it’s that simple.

But it’s not just me.

Comic books writers discovered this lively literary device years ago.

How do you think they ended up with character names like:

Clark Kent

Lois Lane

Lex Luther

Peter Parker

J. Jonah Jameson

Steven Strange

& (of course) Wonder Woman.

(If I were a comic book character, I’d be Louie the Lamb. Or maybe Larry.)

Movie titles are a great exercise in alliteration. Have you seen:

Gone Girl.

Batman Begins

Air America.

Or La La Land.

When I was a kid, we had a movie called “Beach Blanket Bingo.” It starred Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. (Ask your grandparents about that one.) “Beach Blanket Bingo.” They don’t make movies like that anymore.

Marketing people love alliterations. That’s why businesses have names like:

PenPal

Best Buy

Cola-Cola

& Dunkin’ Donuts

Products, too:

Kellogg’s Cornflakes

Captain Crunch

Baby-Back Ribs

& Tonka Toys

Cartoon characters offer a treasure of alliterative gems. Think about it. … You’ve got:

Donald Duck.

Mickey Mouse.

Woody Woodpecker.

Bugs Bunny.

Porky Pig.

& my favorite: Spongebob Squarepants.

It’s almost impossible to get away from alliterative combinations. Let’s say you just want to relax, and enjoy sports over the weekend. Maybe watch some Sports Center — which is, in itself, an excellent alliteration.

Some sports fans in New York probably watch the Buffalo Bills.

New England? Boston Bruins.

Ohio? Cleveland Cavaliers.

Illinois? Chicago Cubs.

In Pennsylvania, fans can catch a match-up between the Pittsburg Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies. Unless they’re hockey fans ... Then they’d probably watch the Pittsburg Penguins.

Alliterations are everywhere.

I’m a Baby Boomer. That’s a great alliteration. Here are some others:

If you’ve got a product or service that carries your whole business, you’ve got what they call “a Cash Cow.”

You don’t want your kid to shoot an eye out during Christmas? Better not buy that kid a b-b gun.

Maybe you want your son or daughter to grow up to be a successful geek like those guys and gals on “Big Bang.” Here’s an idea: Why not invest in a Bunsen Burner? That’ll light up their life.

If you’re old like me, you might contact Meals On Wheels. (Not exactly an alliteration, but it does rhyme.) Maybe you’re a young kid who wants to play Hungry Hippos. (That’s definitely alliteration.) Or maybe you need extra money and decide to sell sea-shells by the sea-shore. Or pick a peck of pickled peppers for your pal, Peter Piper.

It’s not just people, places, and things that get the treatment. Sayings do, too:

Examples:

Cold as a cucumber.

Cream of the crop.

Dead as a doornail.

Easy Peasy.

Head over heels.

Live and learn.

Sink or swim.

Swan song.

Super-Size … and of course.

Trick or treat.

If I’ve not included your favorite example here, just sent me a note, and I’ll add it to list. Whatever you do, don’t start ranting and raving. When it comes to alliteration, it’s best not to make a mountain out of a molehill—if you know what I mean.

I’m Jim Lamb—and you’ve just learned a little somethin’-somethin’ about “Alliteration.”