Iambic Alliteration In The Kraken

“The Kraken” is a poem written in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme of ABABCDDCEFEAAFE. However, the poem is not written in exact iambic pentameter: for example, there is a sponde at the beginning of line two to emphasize how far beneath the sea the kraken resides. There are only two periods throughout the poem; thus signalling that there are likely two parts of the poem. While it is no surprise that the latter period occurs at the end since the end of the poem naturally results in the end of a complete thought, the first period suggests a turn in subject.

Once one moves past the surface features of the poem, it is hard not to notice the poem’s extensive use of repetition in various forms. The first one that comes to mind is the repetition of the word “far,” which is used to emphasize the greatness of the depth at which the kraken lives (Line 2). More subtle, however, is the alliteration of the s and h sounds throughout the poem: there are twelve words in the poem in the poem that start with an s and ten words that start with an h. This helps enhance the cadence and rhythm of the poem. Anaphora also occurs in this poem: deep is repeated at the ends of lines one and thirteen and sleep is repeated in lines three and twelve. This repetition is used to emphasize important concepts the exposition of the poem - the fact that the

The first content group consists of lines one to ten while the second consists of lines eleven through fifteen. The reason why this poem is divided this way is because there is a period in line 10, which signals the end of a complete thought and thus a turn in subject. In this poem, the first content group is used for exposition as the speaker describes the setting of the place where the kraken resides. The second content group moves on from description to prophesy as the speaker begins to describe the events of the Last Judgement and how the kraken will die