The effective use of sound in poetry (and poetry analysis) might be illustrated most easily with an example: “Dreams” by Langston Hughes (from Poets.org).
Dreams
by Langston Hughes
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
(From The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes published by Alfred A. Knopf/Vintage. Copyright © 1994 by The Estate of Langston Hughes)
What is the most-used sound in this poem? There are ‘d’ sounds throughout the verses—even in the title. What kind of feeling does the ‘d’ evoke? An analysis of this poem might indicate that “The repeated ‘d’ sound is like the thud of a door closing, a dream dying.” When analyzing poetry, it’s usually acceptable to be creative in using some imagery, building upon the source (the poem) to develop the theme and meanings associated with the poem in the analysis.
The ‘d’ sound isn’t the only sound that breaks up the line. Other hard sounds, plosives (‘b,’ ‘t,’ ‘k,’ ‘g’ and ‘d’ sounds) throughout the poem punctuate it, creating an almost clunky staccato rhythm in its reading. Does the phrase “broken-winged bird” roll off the tongue? The repeated hard consonants might evoke the sound of the fruitless beating of the injured bird’s wings against the ground. “A barren field” creates a similar effect, with the same finality of the ‘d’ ending.
There are soft sounds as well, to contrast and counterbalance the heavy, hard sounds. Soft sounds include fricatives (‘h,’ ‘f’, ‘s,’ ‘th’ and ‘z’ sounds for example) and liquids (‘w,’ ‘r,’ ‘l,’ ‘m,’ and ‘n’ sounds). The last line of the poem, for example, utilizes only these soft sounds: “Frozen with snow.”
Again, a creative analysis might read, “The contrast between hard and soft sounds in this poem contrasts the harsh world where dreams have died. The soft sounds in the final line, ‘Frozen with snow,’ create a hush at the end of the poem, evoking the stark, hopeless image from the poem.”
Now it’s your turn: the poem also utilizes rhyme. What is the purpose or effect of this stylistic device?
I think the rhyme scheme of ABCB ADCD imposes a rigid order on the poem, almost like the regimented use of plosive hard sounds. This rigidity suggests the harsh, disciplined life without dreams that the speaker warns against. (Note, however, that rhyme may not always be a stylistic device, since rhyming poetry has been popular for hundreds of years.)
Learn more about interpreting poetry with A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver or focus on the function of sound with Sound and Form in Modern Poetry by Harvey Gross and Robert McDowell.
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