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The Man I Love is Gershwin’s most successful ballad. Like other nallads, it tells a story, but this one is in regards to a woman and how she dreams she will one day meet her perfect man. She admits dreams seldom come true, but appears certain this one will. She imagines how she will finally meet him.
The first line uses alliteration to give an accurate and successful description of the moon which rises when she dreams - ‘mellow moon.’ Rhyme is often used throughout to improve and imitate sound, and because it maintains continuity well is therefore very successful. Line 4 has one of the most memorable and successful examples of assonance - ‘the he for me’ - to clearly explain that the man of her dreams to suited to her. ‘The man I love’ is an example of repetition throughout the song, and successfully adds character to the song. Over lines 21 and 22 there is an example of enjambement - ‘...meet him, Sunday...’ - which certainly represents the continuation of the same idea or phrase. Following that Line 22 then ends up a successful example of a caesura separating (but not listing) ideas - ‘Sunday, maybe Monday...’ A hyperbole is used on line 27 -’...from which I’ll never roam...’ - which perhaps unsuccessfully illustrates her loyalty to her dream man. The ‘end stopped’ technique is often used in the song.
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