Assonance and Consonance

English Honours 11 April 2022 Assonance and Consonance Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in a group of words close to each other. The sounds can be found anywhere in the words, in the beginning, middle or end. A misconception is that consonance is when letters repeat, while it is when sounds repeat. Consonance is used to strengthen the language used to make the organization of words more interesting and captivating. Writers use consonance to make words stand out and it helps encourage the reader to spend more time looking at or thinking about the words chosen. Consonance as a poetic device was introduced in the mid-1500s and is derived from consonantem, a Latin word, which means “harmony” or “agreement”. Some pre-existing examples include Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost: He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. (Frost, lines 9-12) This is a good example of consonance with the repetition of the “s” sound. Sonnet 64 written by William Shakespeare, “Increasing store with loss and loss with store;” (Shakespeare, line 8), is another example of consonance with the sound “s”. Edgar Allen Poe created consonance with the repetition of ‘n’ and ‘l’ sounds in Annabel Lee: It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me. (Poe, lines 1-6) The final example is The Acrobats written by Shel Silverstein: I'll swing by my ankles She'll cling to your knees As you hang by your nose From a high-up trapeze. But just one thing, please, As we float through the breezeDon't sneeze. (Silverstein) Here, there is a repetition of the ‘ng’ and ‘z’ sounds, which creates consonance. Own Examples of Consonance: Example 1: Louis walked over to the airport lounge before boarding the airplane. There is a consonance with “L” and “R”. The repeated consonance sounds are found in the beginning, middle, and end of words. Example 2: He flew to France to watch a football game and took a few photos. In this example, consonance is created with “f” and “ph” sounds. This is an example of how consonance is when sounds repeat, not letters. Example 3: The weather was wonderful, and Nantes won the friendly tournament. Lastly, in this example, the “w” and “n” sounds are repeated, creating consonance. This is another example of how consonance can be found anywhere in the word. Assonance is the repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds near each other in words, phrases, or sentences. The sounds can be found anywhere in the word and don't have to be spelled in the same way. For instance, both “pain” and “sane” have an “ane” sounds but it is spelled differently. The sounds can also be found anywhere in the word, such as with “remember” and “December” which have a repeating “e” sound. It is used to set the mood or reinforce the meanings of words. The word comes from the Lain phrase “assonare” which means to answer with the same sound. Pre-Existing Examples of Assonance: The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow – sorrow for the lost Lenore – For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore – Nameless here for evermore (Poe lines 7-12). “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain. (musical “My Fair Lady”) In Green Eggs and Ham, “I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam I Am.” (Suess 9). Own Examples of Consonance: Example 1: Fred asks Mary "Would you perchance like to dance?" "If you'd asked in advance, I would've loved the chance." "Despite being in the city of romance, in France, I am taking care of Ted and Terry's plants." In this example, there is a repeated use of the sounds “ance”, “ed” and “ry”. This repetition of these sounds creates more fluid sentences. Example 2: "Well, that's too bad, and now I'm sad." "Do you have the time to meet Chad?" “Admittedly, I'm hungry and would be glad” “To eat at a place recommended by my dad” “See you Mary, I had a grand time” In this example, the repetition of the sound “ad” creates a rhyming sequence with the use of assonance. Example 3: "Thank you, Fred." She looks at the view as she goes through The red door ahead She blew him a kiss Portraying the unsaid words Mary fled, instead of pursuing the charming Fred. In this example, there is a repetition of the “u” and “ed” sounds. The “u” sound is repeated in the words you, view, through, blew, and pursuing. The sound “ed” is repeated in the words Fred, red, ahead, unsaid, and instead.