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Literary Devices
Definition of Alliteration
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “b” sound in: “Bob brought the box of bricks to... read full definition
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “b” sound in: “Bob brought... read full definition
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the... read full definition
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Buoyed on a Balloon:
When Nick goes to Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s house for dinner, his description of first seeing Daisy and Jordan Baker contains alliteration:
The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon. They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house. I must have stood for a few moments listening to the whip and snap of the curtains and the groan of a picture on the wall. Then there was a boom as Tom Buchanan shut the rear windows and the caught wind died out about the room, and the curtains and the rugs and the two young women ballooned slowly to the floor.
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Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Gatsby’s Garden:
Nick’s description of the outdoor décor and catering at Gatsby’s summer parties is alliterative:
Unlock with LitCharts A+At least once a fortnight a corps of caterers came down with several hundred feet of canvas and enough colored lights to make a Christmas tree of Gatsby’s enormous garden. On buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors-d’oeuvre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold.
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Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Boats Borne Back:
The Great Gatsby’s famous last line is an example of both metaphor and alliteration:
Unlock with LitCharts A+So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
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Explanation and Analysis—Daisy’s Dock:
Nick’s reflections on his last night in West Egg contain alliteration:
Unlock with LitCharts A+And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock.
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