Seminar 3
EXERCISE 1. Find examples of alliteration and assonance in poetry examples.
1. Alliteration (repetition of consonant sounds):
● “The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free.” - (S.T. Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
Repetition of the /f/ sound creates musicality and imitates the motion of wind and waves.
● “Before the blade, my blood began to boil.”
The /b/ alliteration intensifies tension and emotional heat.
2. Assonance (repetition of vowel sounds):
● “Hear the mellow wedding bells.” (E.A. Poe, The Bells)
Repetition of /e/ and /o/ vowel sounds creates a melodious, echoing effect.
● “I must confess that in my quest I felt depressed and restless.” (Edgar Allan Poe)
The repetition of /e/ sound emphasizes melancholy and rhythmic flow.
Stylistic function:
Alliteration and assonance enhance the euphonic quality of the poem, link words
semantically and emotionally, and contribute to its overall mood, rhythm, and imagery.
EXERCISE 2. Find examples of onomatopoeia, alliteration and assonance in
advertisements. Explain their stylistic functions.
Examples:
1. Onomatopoeia:
“Snap! Crackle! Pop! Kellogg’s Rice Krispies.” The imitation of real cereal sounds
adds vividness, makes the brand more memorable, and appeals to auditory
imagination.
2. Alliteration:
“Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s Maybelline.” Repetition of /m/ provides
rhythmic harmony and promotes slogan memorability.
3. Assonance:
“Obey your thirst - Sprite. The long /eɪ/ sound (obey / taste) evokes smoothness and
pleasure.
4. Alliteration:
“Coca-Cola – cool, crisp, classic.”Repetition of /k/ gives a sense of energy, clarity,
and cold freshness.
Stylistic function:
Phonetic devices in advertising make slogans more memorable, rhythmically appealing,
and emotionally charged, fostering positive associations with the product.
EXERCISE 3. Identify the type of rhyme employed in the following lines from Poe’s
poetry.
Let’s classify rhyme types:
● Full rhyme - identical sounds of stressed syllables.
● Internal rhyme - rhyme within one line.
● Eye rhyme - identical spelling but different pronunciation.
● Pararhyme / imperfect rhyme - similar but not identical sounds.
● Feminine rhyme - rhyming of two-syllable words.
● Masculine rhyme - rhyme on the final stressed syllable.
1.
“I stand amid the roar / Of a surf-tormented shore / And I hold within my hand /
Grains of the golden sand”
roar / shore - perfect masculine rhyme, hand / sand - perfect masculine rhyme.
2.
a) “Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December”
internal rhyme (remember / December), feminine rhyme (two syllables)
b) “Presently my heart grew stronger; hesitating then no longer”
feminine rhyme, perfect (stronger / longer)
3.
“O God! can I not save / One from the pitiless wave?”
perfect masculine rhyme (save / wave)
“Is all that we see or seem / But a dream within a dream?”
perfect masculine rhyme (seem / dream)
4.
a) “Lest an evil step be taken / Lest the dead who is forsaken”
perfect feminine rhyme (taken / forsaken)
b) “By a route obscure and lonely / Haunted by ill angels only”
perfect feminine rhyme (lonely / only)
a) now / avow / brow - triple masculine rhyme.
b) deem / dream - perfect masculine rhyme.
c) away / day - perfect masculine rhyme.
d) seem / dream - perfect masculine rhyme.
e) hand / sand - perfect masculine rhyme.
6.
a) giv’n / Heav’n - eye rhyme (visual rhyme), pronounced differently.
b) wind / behind - perfect masculine rhyme.
7.
bore me / before me - perfect feminine rhyme.
8.
a) floods / woods, discover / over, aspire / fire, outspread / dead - perfect masculine rhymes.
b) warm / harm - perfect masculine rhyme.
c) none / gone - perfect masculine rhyme.
Summary:
Poe frequently uses perfect masculine rhyme and feminine rhyme, often pairing it with
internal rhyme to intensify the musicality and rhythm of his verse. Rhyme in Poe’s poetry
creates hypnotic, incantatory effects, reflecting his themes of dream, death, and obsession.
EXERCISE 4. Find 10 examples of graphon in captions, posters, advertisements, etc.
Graphon - deliberate alteration of spelling or typography to reflect pronunciation, speech
peculiarities, or emotional emphasis.
Examples:
1. “Nothin’ beats McDonald’s.” omission of g reflects casual speech.
2. “I’m lovin’ it.” colloquial form enhances friendliness.
3. “Got milk?” elliptical grammar = catchy informality.
4. “Li’l Miss Sunshine.” shortened little shows informality, regional flavor.
5. “Talkin’ Texan Style!” phonetic spelling conveys accent.
6. “C’mon, taste the feeling!” (Coca-Cola) elision gives spontaneity.
7. “’Cause you’re worth it.” (L’Oréal) colloquial contraction adds intimacy.
8. “Krazy Glue.” altered spelling (crazy - krazy) adds visual playfulness.
9. “Froot Loops.” playful spelling grabs attention.
10.“EZ-Clean.” abbreviation (“easy”) implies speed, modernity.
Stylistic function:
Graphon individualizes speech, adds expressiveness, creates brand identity, and appeals to
specific audiences through phonetic realism and visual creativity.
EXERCISE 5. Find 3 examples of visual poetry. Define how their form influences
perception.
1. George Herbert – “Easter Wings” (1633)
Poem arranged in the shape of wings.
Effect: The visual form symbolizes spiritual elevation and resurrection, reinforcing the
poem’s religious theme.
2. Guillaume Apollinaire – “Il pleut” (1918)
Words arranged in descending vertical lines resembling rain.
Effect: The typography imitates falling rain, creating a direct visual echo of meaning.
3. e.e. cummings – “l(a”
l(a
le
af
fa
ll
s)
one
l
iness
Effect: The fragmented form visually enacts the falling of a leaf and isolation of
“loneliness.” Form mirrors content - fragmentation and solitude.
Conclusion:
In visual poetry, typography becomes an integral semantic tool. The poem’s shape reinforces
imagery, rhythm, and emotion, merging visual art and linguistic expression.
Perfect👌 This is Exercise 6 from your stylistics seminar — focused on morphological
stylistics, i.e., how word forms, morphemes, affixes, and word-formation patterns
contribute to stylistic effect.
Here’s a professional-level analysis of each example:
EXERCISE 6 - Morphological Stylistics Analysis
1. “Sissy Millers – drab little women in black carrying attach cases.” (V. Woolf)
Underlined: Sissy Millers
Analysis:
The pluralized proper name (Millers) transforms an individual’s surname into a common
noun, denoting a type rather than a person. This morphological conversion (proper →
common noun, singular → plural) emphasizes depersonalization and typification: the
women are not unique individuals but indistinguishable representatives of an office-worker
class. The morphological shift functions stylistically to express irony and social
commentary on uniformity and loss of individuality.
2. “The pale green of the young chestnut leaves made a pretty contrast with the
dark blue of the sky.” (E.M. Forster)
Underlined: the pale green of the young chestnut / the dark blue of the sky
Analysis:
Here, pale green and dark blue function as noun phrases formed through
substantivization (adjective + noun used nominally). Morphologically, adjectives (pale,
dark) modify color nouns that have themselves been converted into nouns denoting
substances (green, blue). This conversion produces color imagery with a tactile, painterly
effect. Stylistically, it evokes a visual and sensory impression—objectifying color as if it were
a tangible entity.
3. “It was a nothing that he knew too well. It was all a nothing and a man was
nothing too.” (E. Hemingway)
Underlined: a nothing, all a nothing
Analysis:
The indefinite article a before nothing converts the pronoun into a countable noun,
producing the effect of substantivization and semantic paradox. Morphologically, this
stresses existential emptiness—“nothing” becomes a thing in itself. The stylistic function is
emphatic irony and abstraction: the void becomes material, reinforcing Hemingway’s
theme of existential futility.
4. “It must be the Hedder girl, he thought.” (J. Chase)
Underlined: the Hedder girl
Analysis:
The addition of the definite article the before a proper name (Hedder) turns it into a
compound nominal phrase that signals categorization or distance. Morphologically, this
shift depersonalizes the referent—she’s not “Miss Hedder,” but a representative type (“the
Hedder girl”). Stylistically, it suggests social labeling, detachment, and perhaps a hint of
irony.
5. “Lisa French was being pretty forthright.” (R. Pitman, J. McNally)
Underlined: was being pretty forthright
Analysis:
The progressive form was being with an adjective (forthright) is a marked morphological
construction (aspectual variation). Normally, adjectives express permanent qualities; using
the continuous aspect implies temporary behavior. Stylistically, it softens or limits the
adjective’s meaning—Lisa is not always forthright, but behaving so in this moment. This
adds nuance, immediacy, and psychological realism.
6. “The needy and adventurous; the gambling speculator; the dreaming
land-jobber; the thriftless tradesman; the merchant with cracked credit.” (W.
Irving)
Underlined: the needy and adventurous; the gambling speculator; the dreaming land-jobber;
the thriftless tradesman; the merchant with cracked credit
Analysis:
The repeated use of the definite article the with substantivized adjectives and participles
(needy, adventurous, gambling, dreaming, thriftless) morphologically turns qualities or
actions into personified types. This gives a collective, generalized tone, classifying people
by traits. Stylistically, it creates social typification, contributing to satire and rhythmic
accumulation through parallel morphological patterning.
7. “Who ever knew a Johnson with a quick tongue?” (A. Walker)
Underlined: a Johnson with a quick tongue
Analysis:
The indefinite article a before a proper name (Johnson) morphologically transforms it into a
common noun, meaning “any person of that family type.” This expresses stereotyping or
generalization. The morphological shift indicates familiar irony, as the speaker treats a
surname as representative of a recognizable behavioral pattern.
8. “Could there, possibly, be a Mr. Palgrave?” (H. E. Bates)
Underlined: a Mr. Palgrave
Analysis:
Here again, a before a proper name expresses indefiniteness and emotional distance,
suggesting the person is unknown, hypothetical, or typical. Morphologically, it converts a
proper noun into a generic designation. Stylistically, this implies social nuance, irony, or
polite uncertainty.
9. “There was snow on the tops of the mountains and the lake was a gray
steel-blue.”
Underlined: a gray steel-blue
Analysis:
Compound color term (steel-blue) preceded by modifiers (gray, a) demonstrates word
compounding and morphological blending. The compound noun merges two hues,
achieving precision and subtlety of visual description. The stylistic effect is pictorial
vividness, a painterly realism created through morphological creativity.
10. “While in the wild wood I did lie.” (E. A. Poe)
Underlined: did lie
Analysis:
The use of did before the main verb in an affirmative past tense clause is morphologically
emphatic (emphatic auxiliary). It adds metrical and emotional emphasis, strengthening
assertion and rhythm. In poetry, this archaic or emphatic morphological form enhances
solemnity and musicality.
11. “The melancholy waters lie.” (E. A. Poe)
Underlined: waters
Analysis:
Pluralization of an uncountable noun (water → waters) is a morphological transposition
that introduces poetic imagery. It personifies or localizes the concept - implying various
bodies or surfaces of water. Stylistically, it lends grandeur, vividness, and romantic tone,
characteristic of Poe’s poetic diction.
12. “No swellings tell that winds may be.” (E. A. Poe)
Underlined: winds
Analysis:
Similar to the previous case, pluralizing wind adds variety and multiplicity, suggesting
different air currents or directions. Morphologically, it introduces poetic plurality to evoke
dynamism and spatial vastness. The stylistic effect is elevation and rhythmic balance,
typical of elevated poetic style.
Device Example Function
Substantivization the pale green, the Objectifies qualities, generalizes
needy types
Conversion (Proper → Common a Johnson, Sissy Depersonalization, irony
Noun) Millers
Article shift (definite/indefinite) a Mr. Palgrave Emotional detachment,
generalization
Pluralization of uncountables waters, winds Poetic elevation, imagery
Aspectual variation was being forthright Temporariness, nuance
Compounding steel-blue Precision, painterly description
Emphatic auxiliary did lie Rhythm, emphasis, solemnity
EXERCISE 8
CHAT GPT text: Text of the Advertisement:
⚡ WhiZZ — Wake. Whirl. Win.
Pop it. Sip it. Feel the spark!
✨ Wickedly Wild. Wonderfully WhiZZing. ✨
For those who never stop —
U GO. WE GLOW.
💥 Zzzz... is for sleep. WhiZZ is for speed! 💥
Phonetic Stylistic Devices:
Device Example Function
Alliteration Wake. Whirl. Win.; Wickedly Creates rhythm and memorability;
Wild. Wonderfully WhiZZing. conveys speed and energy.
Assonance Repetition of /ɪ/ in WhiZZ, Produces a sharp, lively sound symbolic
Win, WhiZZing of quick action.
Onomatopoei WhiZZ, Pop! Auditory imitation of fizzing and
a bubbling — evokes sensory association
with the drink.
Graphical Stylistic Devices:
Device Example Function
Capitalization U GO. WE GLOW. Visual emphasis; reflects dynamism and
assertiveness.
Letter variation WhiZZ (double Z) Mimics the buzzing sound of energy and
(graphon) speed; playful brand identity.
Italics Pop it. Sip it. Feel the Suggests rhythm and energy in action.
spark!
Punctuation play Multiple short sentences Adds rhythm and mimics speech tempo;
and ellipsis (Zzzz...) the ellipsis imitates drowsiness.
Emoji use ⚡✨💥 Modern visual code; emphasizes energetic
tone and appeals to younger audiences.
Stylistic Summary:
The ad integrates sound symbolism (phonetic expressiveness) and visual emphasis
(graphical play) to create a lively, memorable message.
It exploits onomatopoeia, rhythm, repetition, and visual layout — typical of modern
commercial language, where form mirrors function: the fast tempo and bright typography
mirror the energy-giving qualities of the product.
