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How to Write a Sound Effects Poem

The use of sound effects in poetry is as old as poetry itself. Creating sound within your poems can give them greater depth and enhance the experience of readers. Sound effect poems can be written in any style. The element that sets them apart from other poetry is the auditory qualities a poet uses to deliver the message of the poem. Using the sound effect devices available to you, you can create poetry that your readers will feel and hear, allowing them to immerse themselves fully into the words of your poems.

Instructions

    • 1

      Write down the concept or theme of the poem you want to write. Beneath this concept or theme, write down words that imply or create sounds that might be associated with the poem you want to write. For instance, if your poem is about someone's last wish on his deathbed, you may want to use techniques that imitate the sound of someone who is near death. Using aspirated consonants can help achieve this goal. An aspirated consonant is one that requires you to push out air when you say it. Combining several of the aspirated consonants in a line of poetry can create the impression of labored breathing or speech.

    • 2

      Write words that allow you to take advantage of onomatopoeia. This literary device is used to describe words that sound like, or take on characteristics of, the sound they are describing. Word such as "hiss," "slither," "thud" and "rush" are examples. Sprinkling words such as these throughout your poem to enhance specific auditory elements helps your readers hear your poem's message.

      Example:

      Slithering through darkness,
      Its hiss becomes maddening
      And steals the bliss

      "Slithering" in the example gives readers a visual of the snake; the word "hiss" sounds, and even looks, like the noise a snake makes; and the end rhyme "bliss" reinforces the overall sound effect of the verse.

    • 3

      Incorporate the use of alliteration, assonance and dissonance into your verse. These literary devices can play an important role in constructing lines of poetry that use sound to send a message. Assonance is the repetition of the same vowel sound to make a series of words sound almost musical, with a flowing rhythm. You can use assonance to create sound with your words in situations where the aim of your words is to lull the reader. Dissonance is the repeated use of too many hard consonants or vowels that clash, creating an unpleasant sound to the ear.

      Example:

      Clamoring in the cacophony
      Claiming to clash with a
      conglomeration of killers . . .

      The repetition of hard sounds in this example help reinforce the overall hysterical feel of the verse.

    • 4

      Write words directly relating to a sound when possible. You can also use visual tactics to help increase the auditory value of the words.

      Example:

      The ROAR of thunder
      CRASHED in my head
      Lightning fractured the dark
      Skies as a THUD
      Brought the roof down
      And I found myself buried
      Pinned beneath a mighty oak

      In the example, using "sound" words and writing them in all capital letters can help make the sound jump from the page.

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Poetry

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