The Alliterative Aspect

Alliteration, Aspiration, and Allen Wrenches

Alliteration

I am challenging myself to a writing schedule. I have long followed

Midwestern Tales

and have read many of his acrostic posts. He has inspired me and now I feel challenged to do the same! I want to be more consistent in the frequency of my writing, and what better way than to lay out a schedule of sorts. These posts will be broken up into two sections: the first will include essays on thoughts and ideas I have had throughout the week that correspond to the letter that is for that week. The second section will feature photography of the area surrounding where I live. Please enjoy the journey below!

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Photo by Surendran MP on Unsplash

Today marks the beginning of something new. The challenge: write a post a week. The theme of which corresponds with the letter of the alphabet for that week. For example, this is the first week, so the letter is “A” and the subject of this post is something that begins with “A.” I also want to work on fit and polish, taking time and writing well.

This week, I began this new challenge by writing about Alliteration. Personally, alliteration is one of my favorite devices. It is the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds. We all know of several phrases that use alliteration, and we all enjoyed saying them as kids. Here is one,“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.” 

Another example of alliteration is the epic of Beowulf. The author of Beowulf frequently used this device to convey emotion and to emphasize moments and feelings. “Bound to the bank then the broad-bosomed vessel.”

I am sure many of us have read excerpts from this tale when we were in high school. My friend and I in college often went on alliterative sprees seeing who could rattle off the longest string of silly sentences. We can see the use of this device in our everyday lives too. Businesses use alliteration for slogans, business names, and commercials. Dunkin Donuts, TicTac, and KitKat are businesses that utilize alliteration for their titles. They are easy to remember and fun to say out loud. 

Last but not least poetry is one of the biggest users of this device. Robert Frost, my favorite poet uses alliteration well. In Stopping in Woods on a Snowy Evening he writes in the first stanza,“Whose woods these are I think I know.” He then uses alliteration several more times to finish the first stanza. 

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, alliteration began its bountiful life around 1624 and has stuck around ever since. I remember learning about alliteration for the first time and it has stuck with me through the years. Whenever I read or hear something that contains this device, I instantly recognize it. I attempt to use alliteration in my poetry, and I need to add it to my other forms of writing too. 

I hope that this challenge that I have undergone will result in some increased skill and discipline in the art of writing. I will attempt to polish my writing style and learn some new things along the way. This post is the first step in the journey. As a bonus, along with every post, I will write a poem at the bottom themed after the subject of each post. 

Alliteration assigns anew,

Aspects of language that I thought I knew.

Learning language literally,

Is harder than it is to figuratively,

Learn lessons through a lens eschew. 

Aspiration

We should aspire to great things. But more importantly, we ought to figure out what is worth aspiring to. To aspire to something means to have a hope or ambition to achieve something. Some people aspire to greatness, others to success, others still to a quiet and peaceful life of doing what they want without being bothered.

These three aspirations may seem good, but in the end, they miss the mark. If life is short and eternity unending, shouldn't we prepare for living eternally? If one day we are to face an awesome and holy God, shouldn't we prepare to meet Him face-to-face? These are weighty questions.

Tragically, many of us, myself included, do not even think in those terms in our day-to-day lives. How do we internalize the truths of Scripture? How do we take the truths that the Bible gives us about God and read them in a way that prepares us for the ultimate glory that is the face of God?

We need to make our hope and ambition to please and glorify God with all of our being. One day we will give account for all that we did before Him. Our lives here on earth are on mission for His glorious and loving purpose. We also are preparing for the day when we meet him and hope for the words, "Well done good and faithful servant... enter into the joy of your master." Matthew 25.23.

Our every aspiration is through our God. Paul, the apostle, speaking to the Greeks in the Aeropagus in the distant past said, "In him we live and move and have our being." Acts 17.28 Let our every aspiration be for the aspiration of pleasing and glorifying our glorious and great God.

Allen Wrenches

The usual pile of allen wrenches.

As a bonus for the alliterative aspect of the letter A, let's talk about Allen wrenches! An Allen wrench, also known as a Hex Key, is an L-shaped tool used to turn screws or bolts in a socket. You probably have used them to assemble furniture or other things that require assembly from the internet. If you buy them as a tool, they usually come in sets, either metric or standard.

A man named William G. Allen first patented the wrench in 1909. According to Wikipedia, there were other patents before and after Allen and his hex key but the name seemed to have stuck, becoming the household name for hex keys ever since. Kleenex, Coke, and Lysol are other household names for their related fields, they become synonymous with their products, replacing facial tissue, soda, and disinfectant wipes.

Local Photography

Lastly, I want to begin sharing some pictures that I have taken locally. I enjoy the work and art of

John E. Dobbs

, and have been inspired by his work! Thanks! Every week, at the bottom of the post, I will share a picture that I have taken that week and add it here in this section.

Field along Highway HH

Thank you for reading the inaugural post in this series! For further reading, please check out some of my recent posts listed below. 

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