Sound Devices:
* Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds creates a sense of rhythm and emphasis: "By the blues by the blues bestudded with blue," "My memory moans most melancholy."
* Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds adds to the poem's musicality and contributes to its dreamy, eerie tone: "O, Ulalume! Ulalume! Ulalume!**"
* Consonance: The repetition of consonant sounds within words or phrases: "We wandered where the wave was wandering," "River roamed round the ruirns."
Figurative Language:
* Metaphor: The poem is filled with metaphors that create vivid imagery and symbolic meaning: "A sigh of sorrows upon the breeze," "The tomb of all the dead," "The winds of our sighs."
* Personification: The speaker gives human qualities to inanimate objects, further blurring the lines between reality and dream: "The trees were bowing low," "The leaves were falling fast," "The stars were shining keen."
* Symbolism: Many elements of the poem hold symbolic meaning, such as:
* Ulalume: Often interpreted as representing a lost love, the speaker's grief, or the dark forces of death and despair.
* The tomb: Represents the end of life, the finality of death, or the speaker's emotional state.
* The river: Could symbolize the flow of time, the passage of life, or the speaker's internal struggles.
Other Devices:
* Repetition: The poem heavily relies on repetition, particularly of the name "Ulalume," which creates a sense of obsession and emphasizes the speaker's overwhelming grief.
* Enjambment: Lines of poetry that run over into the next, creating a flow and momentum that mirrors the speaker's emotional state and the unsettling nature of the journey.
* Internal Rhyme: Rhyming within a single line, adding to the poem's intricate and melodious structure: "We wandered down the valley deep," "In the midst of the storm."
Poe's skillful use of these devices creates a poem that is both beautiful and unsettling, evoking a sense of mystery, loss, and the haunting power of memory. The poem's ambiguity allows for multiple interpretations, making it a rich and rewarding experience for the reader.