Last updated on June 23rd, 2021 at 12:50 pm
Assonance is the repetition of similar vowel sounds within nearby words, lines, phrases, or sentences. It is the repetition of vowel sounds in adjacent words. Assonance takes place when two or more words, close to one another repeat the same vowel sound.
Example 1
Fleet feet them
Looting hoofers of Bloomington
Blood and blooming
Footing and glooming.
Example 2
-Men sell the wedding bells
-We light fire on the mountain
-I see mean people seeking.
-Sally sells sea shells beside the sea shore.
-Go slow over the road.
Example 3: The Verdict by Njoki Gitumbi
He took a good look
At the nuisance tooth
And in awe exclaimed
Tis the food and the mood
To blame for the maim!
Large loomed his tools on the mouth
And off came the tooth with its roots.
Example 4:The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe
Hear the mellow wedding bells –
Golden bells!
What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!
Through the balmy air of night
How they ring out their delight!
From the molten-golden notes,
And all in tune,
What a liquid ditty floats
To the turtle-dove that listens, while she gloats
On the moon!
Example 5:Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
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.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
You must be very sure of the pronunciation of words. They may seem similar yet they are pronounced differently. Assonance is generally used in poetry in order to create rhythm and musicality. It is also used to reinforce the meanings of words and mood.
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