Question

Question 4 of 12 Beat! beat! drums!-blow! bugles! blow! Through the windows-through doors-burst like a ruthless force, Into the solemn church, and scatter the congregation, Into the school where the scholar is studying; -Walt Whitman, "Best! Beat! Drums!" Which statement best explains how the alliteration in this excerpt from a poem about the Civil War contributes to its meaning?​

Answer 1

Answer:

The repetition of the "s" sound in line 4 creates a soft sound that represents regular life in contrast to the exciting sounds of war.​

Explanation:

Alliteration is the repetition of sounds or letters at the beginning of words that are close to each other in a structure. In this excerpt, we can find alliteration with the sounds /b/ and /s/.

The two options that refer to the alliteration of /b/ are incorrect. It does not create an exciting nor a soothing sound. Quite the opposite, the purpose is to remind us of bombs and explosions, of violence and death.

As for the options concerning the /s/ sound, the only correct one is letter D. The repetition of the "s" helps the imagery in the poem. Its sound is soft, especially when opposed to the sound of shots and explosions. The same way, the scholar studying is a peaceful image, while the war, the invasion, the death previously described is anything but.

Answer 2

Alliteration in this excerpt from a poem about the Civil War can contribute to the meaning because it will tell the reader that the poem actually refers to the Civil War. The reader will find out if they pay enough close attention.

The alliteration can be found if you look very close:

The words: blow! bugles! blow! refer to explosions in the war.

And, the sound of an s is more relaxing than bomb noises and explosion noises.

Hope this helps you!