1. Acoustics in Blake

2. Acoustics
Sibilance - the state or quality of a hissing sound like that of s, sh, z, zh.
Plosives - speech produced by closure of the oral passage and subsequent release
accompanied by a burst of air. The basic plosives in English are t, k, and p (voiceless) and d, g,
and b (voiced).
Assonance - is the repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming within phrases or
sentences
Anaphora - the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

3. Effect of Anaphora the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.
Anaphoras are used to emphasize a message throught repetion of a symbol or word.
Repetition can be used positively to imply a great amount of continuous luck/happiness etc. Blakes repeats ‘And I’ at the
start of every sentence in The Introduction to The Songs of Innocence to suggest to the reader idylicc images and freedom
within a simple setting.
‘And I made a rural pen
And I stain’d the water clear
And I wrote my happy songs
Every child may joy to hear.’
Similarly, anaphora’s are used to suggest evil and create negative imagery. Blakes application of anaphoras in ‘A Poison
Tree’ suggests long winded suffering and a dull lonesome, landscape, throught the repetition of the single pro noun ‘I’.
‘I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath - my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe;
I told it not - my wrath did grow.’
However, the effect an Anaphora is greately influenced by the meter of the respected poem.

4. The Effect of Meter the rhythmic, recurring pattern of accented and unaccented syllables
The effect and implications acoustics can have upon a text or meaning of a word is
dependent on the meter of a poem.
Sibilance sounds, for example, alone are suggestive of wrong doing due to the hissing
auditory of a snake. However, they are can be used to convey a positive image. E.g. ‘And
silent by them stands’ and ‘Piper, pipe that song again’ both make use of sibilance and yet
portray idyllic pastoral images. This is down to the fast paced, regular meters and order of
stressed syllables.
On the other hand, to use the hissing sound to create a negative image, slow paced and
long sentences which elongate the pronunciation of words creates sinister and spiteful
images . E.g. ‘That shakes the blossoms of my hoary hair’
The same is true of plosives which can have a positive and negative pronunciation, shaping
the meaning of the respective word, and the effect anaphoras and assonance can have is
also influenced by meter. Thus poems must be read alound to notice the inclusion of
spondees, troches etc. which would alter the order of stressed syllables.

5. Effect of Assonance the repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming within phrases or sentences
Assonance somewhat relates to and influences meter. Emphasising a topic, making the
sentence catchier and easier to learn, sometimes creating an echo, Assonance is the
repetition of vowel sounds creating internal rhyming.
It is used to create different images by putting similar vowels together, i.e. high pitched
vowels such as fine and dine creates and elegant, swift and happy sound, due to the repetition
of ie
Whereas low pitched vowels create a slower, tougher sound, partially influenced by plosivity,
e,g, tub, rub and pub create a strongerm tougher and dry image.

6. Negative use of acoustics in Pastoral qoutes Positive use of acoustics in Pastoral qoutes
‘that shakes the blossoms of my hoary hair’ A little girl lost ‘Drop thy pipe, thy happy pipe’ Introduction
‘It is a land of poverty’ Holy Thursday ‘And I made a rural pen/ And I stain’d the water clear/ And I
‘And your winter and night in disguise’ Nurse’s Song
wrote my happy songs/ Every child may joy to hear.’ Introduction
‘And whisperings are in the dale’ Nurse’s Song
‘Lovely Lyca lay’ The Little Girl Lost
‘And his dark secret love’ The Sick Rose
‘Sweet sleep, come to me’ The Little Girl Lost
‘Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright’ The Tiger
‘Filled with deep surprise’ The Little Girl found
‘binding with briars my joys and desires’ The Garden of Love
‘And silence by them stands’ The Little Girls Found
‘Priests in black gowns’ The Garden of Love
‘The Blossom’ The Blossom
‘Little Lamb, who made thee?’ The Lamb