Assonance

Assonance definition: Assonance is a powerful poetic device that adds musicality and rhythm to literature. It is a literary technique that involves the repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words, specifically in stressed syllables.

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Origin

Derived from the Latin word “assonare,” meaning “to sound,” assonance creates a harmonious effect by repeating similar sounds. What is assonance? This technique is widely employed by writers to evoke specific emotions, create memorable phrases. It enhances the overall aesthetic appeal of their works.

Types of Assonance

Repetition of Pure Vowels: This type of assonance involves the repetition of pure vowel sounds (e.g., “oo” in “moon” and “soon,” or “ea” in “beat” and “heal”). It creates a soft, melodious effect and is commonly used in romantic and lyrical poetry.
Repetition of Diphthongs: Diphthongs are sounds formed by combining two vowels together. Assonance can occur through the repetition of these diphthongs (e.g., “oi” in “voice” and “noise,” or “ou” in “loud” and “shout”). Such assonance adds depth and complexity to the language, often used in dramatic or introspective pieces.
Repetition of Nasal Vowels: This type of assonance involves the repetition of nasal vowel sounds (e.g., “an” in “man” and “stand,” or “ing” in “singing” and “ringing”). Nasal assonance produces a resonance and can be found in various forms of literature, including prose and poetry.

Difference in Use within a Sentence

Assonance can be utilized in different ways within a sentence to achieve varying effects. Here are a few examples:

Emphasizing Meaning: By repeating vowel sounds in key words, assonance draws attention to particular ideas or concepts, emphasizing their significance. For instance, consider the phrase “fleet feet sweep by sleeping streets.” The repeated long “ee” sound enhances the sense of movement and speed.
Creating Mood and Tone: Assonance can contribute to the overall mood and tone of a piece. The choice of specific vowel sounds can evoke feelings of joy, sadness, tension, or tranquility. For instance, the repetition of the short “o” sound in “Hear the mellow wedding bells” imparts a peaceful and harmonious tone.
Enhancing Musicality: Assonance adds musicality and rhythm to a sentence, making it more melodic and memorable. The repeated vowel sounds create a pattern that is pleasing to the ear. For example, in the line “I must confess that in my quest I felt depressed and restless,” the repetition of the short “e” and “i” sounds adds a musical quality to the sentence.

Shakespeare’s use of Assonance

Cabinet card portrait by renowned photographer Napoleon Sarony of stage actress Augusta Dargon in the role of Lady Macbeth in a Broadway stage production of William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, ca 1880 (Photo by Nextrecord Archives/ Getty Images).

From “Macbeth”: “Fair is foul and foul is fair” (repetition of the long “a” sound)
From “Romeo and Juliet”: “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” (repetition of the long “o” sound)
From “Hamlet”: “To be, or not to be” (repetition of the short “o” sound)
From “The Tempest”: “Full fathom five thy father lies” (repetition of the short “a” and long “i” sounds)
From “Sonnet 18”: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” (repetition of the short “a” and long “e” sounds)
From “Julius Caesar”: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears” (repetition of the short “e” sound)
From “Othello”: “I will wear my heart upon my sleeve” (repetition of the long “e” sound)
From “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”: “I know a bank where the wild thyme blows” (repetition of the long “o” sound)
From “As You Like It”: “All the world’s a stage” (repetition of the short “a” sound)
From “King Lear”: “Never, never, never, never, never” (repetition of the short “e” sound)

These examples demonstrate Shakespeare’s masterful use of assonance to create rhythm, musicality, and emphasis within his plays and sonnets.

S.T.Colerdige’s use of Assonance

The Pilot faints, scene from ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ by S.T. Coleridge, published by Harper & Brothers, New York, 1876 (wood engraving) (Photo by Art Images via Getty Images)

From “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”: “The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew” (repetition of the long “oo” sound)
From “Kubla Khan”: “In Xanadu did Kubla Khan” (repetition of the short “a” sound)
From “Christabel”: “The night is chill, the cloud is gray” (repetition of the short “i” sound)
From “Frost at Midnight”: “Seemed to have a soft and swelling breast” (repetition of the short “e” and long “o” sounds)
From “Dejection: An Ode”: “Such beauteous forms” (repetition of the long “oo” sound)
From “Work Without Hope”: “With eager hearts, but crippled will” (repetition of the short “i” sound)
From “Love”: “Hast thou sought other loves” (repetition of the short “o” sound)
From “To William Wordsworth”: “Like those trim skiffs, unknown of yore” (repetition of the short “i” sound)
From “Youth and Age”: “Turned mine eyes and saw the night” (repetition of the long “i” sound)
From “This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison”: “I left him in the Cot’s elysium” (repetition of the short “i” and long “e” sounds)

These examples showcase Coleridge’s adeptness at utilizing assonance to create evocative imagery and a melodious quality within his poetic works.

P.B.Shelley use of Assonance

The original manuscript pages of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem ‘Ode to the West Wind’ dated 25th October 1819, the manuscript is part of an international exhibition titled ‘Shelley’s Ghost: Reshaping the Image of a Literary Family’ exhibition, which opens on December 3rd at the Oxford University Bodleian library. (Photo by Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images)

From “Ode to the West Wind”: “Thou dirge of the dying year” (repetition of the long “i” sound)
From “Ozymandias”: “Half sunk, a shattered visage lies” (repetition of the short “a” sound)
From “To a Skylark”: “Like a poet hidden / In the light of thought” (repetition of the long “i” and short “o” sounds)
From “Mont Blanc”: “Till the breath of the morning / Awakes its sweets in tears” (repetition of the short “e” sound)
From “The Cloud”: “And when the Sun goes down, / When I of warmth and light and love am void” (repetition of the short “o” sound)
From “The Masque of Anarchy”: “Rise like Lions after slumber / In unvanquishable number” (repetition of the short “i” and long “o” sounds)
From “Prometheus Unbound”: “To hope till Hope creates / From its own wreck the thing it contemplates” (repetition of the long “o” and short “e” sounds)
From “Adonais”: “For we are nursed upon the self-same hill” (repetition of the short “u” sound)
From “Hymn to Intellectual Beauty”: “The awful shadow of some unseen Power” (repetition of the short “u” sound)
From “Epipsychidion”: “The joy, the triumph, the delight, the madness” (repetition of the short “i” and long “a” sounds)

These examples demonstrate Shelley’s adeptness at using assonance to create striking imagery, convey emotions, and add a musical quality to his poetry.

Robert Frost use of Assonance

From “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”: “Whose woods these are I think I know” (repetition of the short “o” sound)
From “The Road Not Taken”: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I” (repetition of the short “o” sound)
From “Fire and Ice”: “From what I’ve tasted of desire / I hold with those who favor fire” (repetition of the long “i” sound)
From “Birches”: “So was I once myself a swinger of birches” (repetition of the short “i” sound)
From “Acquainted with the Night”: “I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet” (repetition of the short “ou” sound)
From “After Apple-Picking”: “Essence of winter sleep is on the night” (repetition of the short “i” and long “e” sounds)
From “The Pasture”: “I shan’t be gone long. —You come too” (repetition of the short “o” sound)
From “Mending Wall”: “Before I built a wall I’d ask to know” (repetition of the short “o” sound)
From “The Sound of Trees”: “I wonder about the trees” (repetition of the short “e” sound)
From “The Silken Tent”: “She is as in a field a silken tent” (repetition of the short “i” sound)

These examples highlight Frost’s adeptness at using assonance to create a musical quality, reinforce meaning. And add a sense of rhythm and harmony to his poetry.

Walt Whitman use of Assonance

As a poet known for his celebration of the American spirit. Whitman skillfully employs assonance to create a sense of grandeur and rhythm in his works. In “O Captain! My Captain!,” he uses assonance to convey both the jubilation and sorrow of the moment. Some of the assonance examples from his works are;

From “Song of Myself”: “I celebrate myself, and sing myself” (repetition of the short “i” and long “e” sounds)
From “O Captain! My Captain!”: “Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills” (repetition of the short “u” and long “i” sounds)
From “I Hear America Singing”: “The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work” (repetition of the short “i” sound)
From “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”: “Come lovely and soothing death” (repetition of the short “o” sound)
From “Leaves of Grass”: “I loaf and invite my soul” (repetition of the long “o” sound)
From “Song of the Open Road”: “Allons! whoever you are come travel with me!” (repetition of the short “o” sound)
From “Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking”: “A man, yet by these tears a little boy again” (repetition of the short “e” sound)
From “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry”: “It avails not, time nor place—distance avails not” (repetition of the short “a” sound)
From “I Sing the Body Electric”: “The friendly and flowing savage, who is he?” (repetition of the long “o” sound)
From “A Noiseless Patient Spider”: “Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere” (repetition of the short “i” and long “e” sounds)

These examples showcase Whitman’s skillful use of assonance to create a sense of rhythm, musicality, and resonance in his poetry, capturing the spirit and diversity of America.