Question

Which figure of speech is used in this text?
Hear the sledges with the bells,

Silver bells!

. . . . . . . . .

How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,

In the icy air of night!

—Edgar Allan Poe, "The Bells"

Answer 1

The primary figure of speech is onomatopoeia — the word "tinkle" imitates the sound of bells. Poe also uses repetition (specifically epizeuxis: immediate repetition of a word — "tinkle, tinkle, tinkle") for emphasis and rhythm, plus alliteration ("silver/sledges" — the s sound) and vivid sensory imagery ("icy air of night").