Question

In the poem “There But for the Grace” the poet writes about the role of chance in one’s life. Write an essay analyzing how the poet uses sound devices to convey a theme in the poem.

Answer 1

Answer: For example, in "There was a rail, a hook, a beam, a brake...", the one-syllable words do create a sense of rhythm while describing several items that only by chance helped some people escape.

In "Because rain fell. Because a shadow fell. Because sunny weather prevailed" there´s an example of assonance, meaning there´s a repetition of vowel sounds with non-rhyming words, that refers to the many different circumstances that became a chance for survival.

Explanation:

The theme in this poem refers to the author, and many others, surviving the Holocaust as a matter of luck and good chances. That´s why a poem full of rhymes that usually provide a cheerful tone, would not be suitable in this case. Other sound devices, such as assonance, prevail.