Question

Which lines from the poem "Sonnet in Primary Colors” by Rita Dove provide an example of alliteration?

“among parrots, in the stern petticoats of the peasant, / who painted herself a present–”
“wildflowers entwining the plaster corset / her spine resides in, that flaming pillar–”
“Lenin and Marx and Stalin arrayed at the footstead. / And rose to her easel, the hundred dogs panting”
“Diego’s / love a skull in the circular window / of the thumbprint searing her immutable brow.”

Answer 1

The clearest examples are lines 1 and 2.

- Line 1: “petticoats…peasant…painted…present” (repetition of the initial “p” sound).
- Line 2: “plaster…pillar” (repetition of the “p” sound).

(If you want weaker/secondary examples: line 3 has an h‑sound echo in “her…hundred,” and line 4 has s‑sounds in “skull…searing.”)