“The Spanish Dancer” by Rainer Maria Rilke
As a lit match first flickers in the hands
Before it flames, and darts out from all sides
Bright, twitching tongues, so, ringed by growing bands
Of spectators—she, quivering, glowing stands
Poised tensely for the dance—then forward glides
And suddenly becomes a flaming torch.
Her bright hair flames, her burning glances scorch,
And with a daring art at her command
Her whole robe blazes like a fire-brand
From which is stretched each naked arm, awake,
Gleaming and rattling like a frightened snake.
And then, as though the fire fainter grows,
She gathers up the flame—again it glows,
As with proud gesture and imperious air
She flings it to the earth; and it lies there
Furiously flickering and crackling still—
Then haughtily victorious, but with sweet
Swift smile of greeting, she puts forth her will
And stamps the flames out with her small firm feet.
Use the poem to answer the question.
The phrase "As a lit match first flickers in the hands" uses which of the following devices? Select the two correct answers.
A.
alliteration
B.
assonance
C.
cacophony
D.
consonance
E.
onomatopoeia
F.
anaphora
A. alliteration and B. assonance
The phrase "As a lit match first flickers in the hands" uses the literary devices of alliteration and assonance. It has alliteration with the repeated "f" sound in "first flickers," and it has assonance with the repeated "i" sound in "lit flickers." So, the correct answers are A. alliteration and B. assonance.
The correct answers are A. alliteration and E. onomatopoeia.
Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, and the phrase "lit match first flickers" uses the repetition of the "f" sound.
Onomatopoeia is the use of words that imitate sounds, and the word "flickers" in the phrase describes the sound and action of a lit match.