Consonance and assonance are poetic devices that repeat similar sounds in a line. Assonance repeats vowel sounds, while consonance repeats consonant sounds. These techniques add meaning and can create humor in poetry.
Consonance and assonance are similar poetic forms as they both feature similar sounds repeated in a single line of poetry. The difference between consonance and assonance has to do with the type of repeating sounds found in the line. Assonance occurs when vowel sounds are repeated several times within a line, while consonance features repetitive consonant sounds throughout, usually in the middle or at the end of words. Using these techniques can help a poet add unconscious meaning to the words of his poem through the effect similar sounds have on the reader or listener.
Many people think of poetic devices only in terms of what the words of the poem mean. For example, a poet may use techniques such as metaphor or simile to extract more than the literal meaning of the words on the page. There are also devices with which poets can create effects based on the sound of the words in their poems. Two of these devices, consonance and assonance, are achieved by different means but often serve the same purpose. They are both used to add meaning to the words of the poem by the way they sound when spoken.
A key difference between the two forms can be found in the sounds that each device is associated with. In the case of assonance, those sounds are rhyming vowel sounds that occur in multiple words within a line. The words themselves don’t have to rhyme with each other, but the vowel sounds do have to be similar. For example, the line “The rain ravaged the graves” contains assonance through the repetition of the sound of the long vowel “a” four times.
Conversely, consonance repeats consonant sounds several times along one line. When this occurs at the beginning of words, as in the phrase “fist-fighting furiously,” it is known as a separate technique called alliteration. Consonance exists when consonant sounds are repeated in the middle or at the end of words in a line. An example of consonance would be the line: “In the middle of the puddle he swung.”
There are many ways poets can use consonance and assonance to add an extra dimension to their poetry. The sound of the words can actually emphasize the meaning of the words. Additionally, extreme use of these techniques can often add a touch of humor to a poem. No matter the intent, the effect created by the way words sound when spoken together is the reason poets so often use consonance and assonance.
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