Why is alliteration used in a poem?

Alliteration can be used in poetry to drive the rhythm of the poem or to draw the reader's attention to a certain phrase or line. Alliteration can be found in both classic and contemporary works of poetry.

Alliteration is defined as the repetition of a singular beginning sound over several words that are in close proximity to one another. Alliteration is commonly confused with the similar literary devices of consonance and assonance. Consonance is the repetition of a consonant sound in a phrase, but it can be anywhere in the words. Assonance is the same as consonance, except it is a vowel sound that is repeated.