If you want to sound like Edgar Allan Poe, are inspired by Carl Sanburg, or think of yourself as a William Wordsworth in the making, look no further. In this article, we will define the function of assonance and give examples of how you can use it.
We will give you the tools to use this popular form of literary language in your work so you, too, can be a master of the English language. Let’s get started!
Assonance, in its simplest definition, is when two or more repetitive or similar vowel sounds are used in the middle of words closely bunched together, unlike an internal rhyme that uses both consonant and vowel words between stanzas.
The etymology of assonance actually shows that French poets most likely used this literary device before the introduction of proper rhyme in the 12th century. It is still used as a critical sound device in Spanish and Portuguese poetry today.
Assonance sounds like a complicated poetic device, but it’s really quite simple.
Using assonance in your writing adds drama, rhythm, and often a linguistic flair to your work, and you’ll notice it is used in lots of different ways.
If used correctly, assonance can also change the tempo of your writing, which then intensifies the overall mood.
Although assonance is more commonly used in poetry and prose, this literary device can be seen everywhere, even in everyday language, especially when using Idiomatic expressions - because it's catchy and easy to remember.
Also, a fun thing to note is the difference between perfect and imperfect rhymes. Perfect rhymes are where the vowel sounds are close or identical to each other, whereas imperfect rhymes will have slight differences; for example:
Click each card to learn more.
You’ve probably come across this famous extract from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet before:
“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"
Here, the repetition of the /o/ sound adds an artistic flair to the phrase that flows rhythmically, adding to the plea of Juliet’s cries for her lover.
There are many famous examples of assonance in different types of literature but let’s take a look at a few of them, so you know what to look out for.
Hear the mellow wedding bells,
Golden bells!
What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!
In this extract, you notice that Edgar Allan Poe uses the same vowel sound in:
Adding to the urgency and giving joyful and playful energy to this English poem.
I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam I Am - Green Eggs and Ham
In this extract, you’ll notice that Dr.Suess uses the same vowel sound in:
Adding to the rhythmic quality of the work.
Bit my pretty red heart in two.
I was ten when they buried you
At twenty, I tried to die…
In this extract, you will notice that Plath uses a series of repeated vowel sounds. In the 12th extracted stanza, she uses the sound of /e/ with:
The use of the short /e/ adds to the drama of the line, making it almost staccato-like, sharp, and memorable.
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In the first stanza of this poem, Blake uses the long form of the /i/ sound to add to the description of the main character, the ‘Tyger.’ If you read it aloud a few times, you will notice that the long also /i/ helps to build the rhyming quality of the extract.
Assonance helps to build rhythm and suspense, so it’s no wonder that many artists use it in their songs and track titles. Also, assonance helps words that aren’t rhyming pairs to do so. Let’s take a look at a few examples together:
When you hear of assonance, you’ll often also hear about consonance. However, these two literary devices don’t function in the same way.
Consonance comes from the word ‘consonant,’ and consonants are all letters that aren’t vowels. So any letter that isn’t an;
Consonance is when you repeat consonant sounds or letters in succession or pattern throughout a string of words.
Have a play around and see how many you can invent!
Consonance is also often used in tongue twisters simply because it makes them easy to remember and flows off the tongue. For example:
Similar to consonance, alliteration and assonance also get confused simply because many poets and writers use them together as figurative language devices in their work.
Alliteration is a literary device that uses the same or similar consonant sounds generally at the beginning of a sentence or stressed syllables.
Examples of alliteration used at the beginning of a phrase:
Examples of alliteration used alternatively:
Alliteration is also often used in brand marketing because it can help to create catchy slogans. For example:
Click each card to learn more and explore other types of figurative language.
See, figurative language and assonance can be fun and add an extra flair to your writing - really, it’s not that difficult when you get the hang of it.
Check out our other content, where we take a deep dive into verbs, talk about other types of literary devices, and break down English terms to help you become a wordsmith in no time!