A common question is, “What is consonance?” Consonance is a literary trick in which sounds and words blend together harmoniously. Aural harmony is produced by repeating consonants that are similar to one another. The letters that make the words sing together are the “s” in “slip and slide” and the “h” in “hissing snakes.”
The sounds that letters make when combined form a symphony of words, not simply the letters themselves.
Poets use consonance as a secret weapon to make words sing and dance. A poem’s line gains melody via the repeating of consonants that sound similar.
It’s a technique for giving words more nuance and significance as well as an ear-pleasing harmony.
Poets employ this tool like virtuoso composers, directing a symphony of sounds to produce a creative language that speaks to both listeners and readers.
It’s a subtle but effective instrument that gives poetry an additional layer of beauty and transforms it into a sensory experience.
To put it simply, consonance is a literary device in which similar consonant sounds are repeated, usually in close proximity to one another. This repetition, which might take place at the start, middle, or finish of words, gives the language coherence and harmony.
It can be used to increase emphasis or provide a feeling of rhythm, as well as to set a certain tone or atmosphere in a piece of writing.
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Types of Consonance
Literature can employ a variety of consonance patterns, such as the following:
- Consonance rhyme: This occurs when consonants are repeated at the conclusion of rhyming words. For instance, “rat” and “cat”
- Internal Consonance: This occurs when consonants are repeated within a word’s body. For instance, “buzzing”
- Reverse Consonance: In a group of words, this is the last consonant sound that is repeated. As an illustration, “hissing snakes.”
- Alliteration: This occurs when a group of words repeats the first consonant sound. “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,” for instance.
- Consonant Cluster: This occurs when a set of words repeats several consonant sounds at once. Consider “black back.”
These are the principal forms of consonance; nevertheless, literature can employ a wide range of variants and combinations.
Because consonance is essentially just the first letter sound repeated, it’s common to confuse it with alliteration and assonance. In order to prevent confusion, the following is a quick summary of the differences between the three:
Alliteration is a form of consonance in which the first consonant sound is repeated inside a set of words, as you are already aware. It’s common practice to employ this repetition to convey emphasis or establish rhythm. Alliteration can be employed to highlight particular words or to convey a lighthearted tone of speech.
Repetition of related vowel sounds, usually in close proximity to one another, is known as assonance. Similar to consonance, it gives words an impression of harmony and unity and can be employed for rhythm and emphasis. Assonance can be employed to produce a particular sound pattern or to give a line of poetry an internal rhyme.
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These examples make it clear that assonance and consonance are two different types of literary strategies used to give the language a sense of harmony and wholeness. Another type of consonance is alliteration.
It’s crucial to remember that these literary strategies can be combined or overlapped to produce a variety of effects.
Alliteration and assonance, for instance, can be combined to produce an impression of internal rhyme and emphasis.
Therefore, assonance is the repetition of comparable vowel sounds, consonance is the repetition of similar consonant sounds, and alliteration is the recurrence of the initial consonant sound.
Some examples from novels that will help you to observe consonance:
- “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness” by Arundhati Roy – “The sky was dark, and the stars were bright.” – The repetition of the ‘k’ sound in “sky” and “dark” and the ‘t’ sound in “stars” and “bright” creates a sense of unity and harmony.
- “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck – “The roads were white in the glare, the land was dry and dead.” – The repetition of the ‘d’ sound in “white,” “glare,” “dry,” “dead” creates a sense of unity and harmony.
- “The Immortals of Meluha” by Amish Tripathi – “The air was thick with the scent of incense and the sound of prayers.” – The repetition of the ‘s’ sound in “scent” and “incense” and the ‘d’ sound in “sound” and “prayers” creates a sense of unity and harmony.
- “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde – “The leaves of the trees rustled in the wind like living things.” – The repetition of the ‘s’ sound in “leaves,” “rustled,” “trees,” “like,” and “things” creates a sense of unity and harmony.
- “The Inheritance of Loss” by Kiran Desai – “The sky was a deep blue, and the clouds were white and fluffy.” – The repetition of the ‘s’ sound in “sky” and “deep,” and the ‘f’ sound in “clouds” and “fluffy” creates a sense of unity and harmony.
- “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson – “The door opened with a bright flash, as if a blaze of light came out.” – The repetition of the ‘s’ sound in “flash,” “as” and “blaze” creates a sense of unity and harmony.
- “The Guide” by R.K. Narayan – “The road was long and winding, and the trees were tall and dark.” – The repetition of the ‘l’ sound in “long” and “winding” and the ‘t’ sound in “trees” and “tall” creates a sense of unity and harmony.
- “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood – “The red robes swirled as they walked, and the black boots gleamed.” – The repetition of the ‘s’ sound in “swirled” and “walked” and the ‘k’ sound in “black” and “gleamed” creates a sense of unity and harmony.
- The White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga – “He was a man with a past, a man with a story, a man with a secret.” – The repetition of the ‘m’ sound in “man,” “past,” “story,” “man,” and “secret” creates a sense of unity and harmony.
- “Midnight’s Children” by Salman Rushdie – “The streets were full of people, and the bazaars were full of noise.” – The repetition of the ‘l’ sound in “full” and “full” and the ‘s’ sound in “streets” and “people” creates a sense of unity and harmony.
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These illustrations demonstrate how literary elements like consonance, which may be used anywhere in the text and not only in dialogue or monologues, can be richly employed in any kind of writing to help establish harmony, unity, and prominence.
In summary, consonance is the symphony of words, where sounds and letters blend together to produce a melody that reverberates throughout the reader’s head.
Thus, the next time you read a poem, focus on the faint but potent consonance that exists between the lines and allow it to take you to a beautiful and amazing place.