Alliteration occurs several times throughout "In Flanders Fields." In each case, it draws particular attention to an emotionally charged moment and reinforces the importance of each one. Alliteration is most noticeable in the title of the poem and the lines that repeat it (1, 9, and 15). "Flanders fields" refers to the geographic site of a World War I battle where many soldiers died. By incorporating the forceful "f" sound into both words of this location, the speakers emphasize the place's importance and also repeatedly mimic the sound of an exhalation, which subtly hints at the dying breaths of the soldiers who lost their lives there.
The poem's other instances of alliteration also occur at emotional peaks of the speakers' story. The repeated "aw" sound of "dawn" and "saw" in line 7, as well as the triple "s" of "saw sunset" adds a sense of motion and liveliness to that line, which reflects how vivid the speakers' lives once were and creates a stark contrast to the death described in the next lines. The repeating "l" sound of "loved," "loved," and "lie" in line 8 illustrates how important love was in the dead soldiers' lives, as well as how thin the line is between life and death, as "loved" rushes quickly into "lie."
Finally, the breathy "h" sounds of "hold it high" in line 12 highlight the importance of this instruction and suggest that readers, like the speakers, will have to sacrifice their own breath in this ongoing struggle.
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