Ballade Of Worldly Wealth Rhetorical Devices

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The poem “Ballade of Worldly Wealth” by Andrew Lang is a shorter poem in length but the three stanzas still hold lots of meaning. The meaning of the poem gives the impression to the reader that it is about money and how it can be destructive to a person’s mental and physical health. Money has the power to control people and cause them to make awful decisions. Based upon this meaning, the tone or mood of this poem appears to be more somber since it deals with a more serious topic. There is no definite tone to this poem that is identifiable. The speaker of the poem seems to be an observer of those who are controlled by money who lives in the town. This poem seems to be directed towards an audience of people who are not aware of the hold money …show more content…

They are devices used purposely to create a bigger picture to the reader and they are evident once read more than once. Rhetorical devices are devices such as repetition, parallel construction, and end or slant rhyme. Repetition and rhyme are two devices that can both be found within this poem. Rhetorical devices help to make a poem more dramatic and the message to become clearer to the reader. An example of repetition in this poem is the last two lines of each stanza being “These alone can ne’er bestow/Youth, and health, and Paradise.” Based upon this repetition, this makes it clear to the reader that these lines are of the upmost importance. These two lines are able to help the reader decipher the meaning of this poem. End rhymes are also present in this poem, meaning words at the end of sentences rhyme with each other. In this poem there is a pattern of every other word at the end of a line rhyming, for example, “Money taketh town and wall/Fort and ramp without a blow/Money moves the merchants all/While the tides shall ebb and flow;” Wall rhymes with all, while blow rhymes with flow. This is a constant rhyming pattern throughout the poem. Repetition and rhyming are two key elements to this poem and makes it easier for the reader to comprehend and

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