Alliteration---(Noun) ---A repetition of speech
sounds in a lsingle line of poetry. The term only applies to connsonants
at the beginning of a word. For example,
When the Westerly Winds do
blow, Willy Whale, westward goes!
Use alliteration to reinforce meaning in a poem, or to link related
words together for emphasis.
Assonance---(Noun)---A repetition of identical or similar
vowel sounds usually in stressed sylablles.
The bride wore a white chiffon dress to complement
her pride.
Allusion---(Noun) an allusion is a reference or an indirect
hint toward a person, place or thing.
Consider this stanza from Thomas Nash's 'Litany in time of Plaque'..
Brightness falls from the air
Queens have died young and fair
Dust hath closed Helen's eye,
In this poem there is an 'allusion' to Helen of Troy. Use
Allusion to enphasize and expand a topic.
Ballad---(Noun)
A ballad is an oral song. It tells a story. Ballads are particularly
about a particular person or idea.
Many ballads are usually set to music. The ballad falls under the
catogory 'narrative' poetry and is usually
written as a folk song. The ballad is composed of the 'ballad stanza'
which is a quatrain in alternate four-and three
stressed iambic lines, with only the second and fourth lines rhyming.
The King sits in a Dumferling towne,
Drinking the blude-red wine;
" O whar will I get a guide sailor,
To sail this ship o' mine?"
.....(From Sir Patrick Spens.)