Onomatopoeia Examples in Poetry

Boom

Zip

Crunch

Buzz

That's how easy it is to understand what onomatopoeia is. All these sounds, what do they say to you? Don't they build an instant picture of the action that is being undertaken? That is exactly what onomatopoeia is. In this way, the sound and the meaning of a particular word is the same. A reading of the word leaves no doubt about the kind of meaning that it conveys. These words are conveyed from real life and therefore the presence is apparent in most cases. Which is what makes it one of the most interesting figures of speech in the English language, because one can simply confer the meaning from the existing word. Onomatopoeia is used in different works of art to form some of the most effective works. In this article, however, we will study onomatopoeia examples in poetry and try to understand the concept better through this medium of literature.

Onomatopoeia Examples in Poems

There are several people who make use of onomatopoeia in their daily lives without even realizing it. They impregnate every sentence with onomatopoeia.

Like they'll go - 'And then he ate through the rest of the wafers going crunch, crunch, crunch with every bite'.

As is clear, this figure of speech is one of the most interesting elements because it connects right through and leaves no doubt about what the action in question is. Here are some of the prominent examples of onomatopoeia in poetry.

Example # 1

"Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor.
He played a few chords then he sang some more..."

~ The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes

In this poem, the use of the word 'thump' is an onomatopoeic word that draws a picture before us of exactly how the person must've placed his foot, the pressure he must've used when the foot hit the floor. It is one of the examples of famous poems with onomatopoeia in it.

Example # 2

"How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
In the icy air of night!

"How they clang, and clash, and roar!
What a horror they outpour "

~ The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe

In these examples, Poe has shown us the two contrasting features of the bells. At one point they 'tinkle' which is a very mild word and then they 'clang' which is a more forceful action. He thus draws a comparison in the two forms of bells moving in the air and makes the differing moods immediately clear. These are some of the best onomatopoeia words to use and are quite simple to understand.

Example # 3

"I heard the ripple washing in the reeds,
And the wild water lapping on the crag."

~ Morte D'Arthur by Alfred Lord Tennyson

In these onomatopoeia examples, the words 'ripple' and 'lapping' help the audience feel the poem and live through the experience. One can picture the stream and the flow of the water in it.

Example # 4

"Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard,
He tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred..."

~ The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes
Here the words 'clattered', 'clashed' and 'whip' are onomatopoeic words that put forth the picture of his actions. The way he crashes, the texture of the path, the whipping and force of the whip are all made to stand out with these examples of onomatopoeia.

Example # 5

"The moan of doves in immemorial elms,
And murmuring of innumerable bees."

~ Come down, O Maid by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Sometimes onomatopoeia need not be present as only complete words. Here the examples of onomatopoeia are conveyed through the sounds of 'n' and 'm'. These have a lilting rhythm to it which portrays the actions of insects. Thus without using clear cut words, Lord Tennyson has been able to provide for subtle examples of the same.

These onomatopoeia examples in poetry will have given you a clear idea of what onomatopoeia is. It will have also helped you to understand that with the use of onomatopoeia, a piece of art can literally be made to stand right out, the readers can understand and connect with it better and it lends to greater appeal for that work of art.