Evaluate the effectiveness of diction as an adjunct to meaning in John Updike's 'Player Piano'.                  In 'Player Piano', John Updike uses personification to give life to a 'unhuman' piano. By using diction to communicate his ideas, he effectively allows the reader to explore the psyche of a 'Player Piano'. In the first couple lines of the poem, assonance and consonance are present. In line one, these musical devices dominate the sentence as there is a …showed first 75 words of 627 total…

…showed last 75 words of 627 total…human hand might fail in its task, the player piano, no matter how difficult the tone, never 'misstrums' itself.         Player Piano is an extremely good example of the way in which sound, syntax, and diction can lend support to the theme and subject of a poem. This piano is like a machine with a well- developed mind and a sense of importance. It does a very good job of exploring its life and its achievements.