Figures of Speech - Alliteration and Assonance
Alliteration
Alliteration is a powerful literary device that involves the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words in a sentence or phrase. The writers use it as a tool to create a specific
effect on their readers.
One of the most famous examples of alliteration is the tongue-twister
"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
In this sentence, the repetition of the "p" sound creates a musical effect that is both pleasing to the ear
and difficult to say quickly.
This type of alliteration is often used in poetry and songs to create a similar effect.
Alliteration helps to
To draw attention to specific words or phrases. For example, a writer might use alliteration to emphasize the importance of a particular point or to create a memorable phrase that sticks in the reader's mind. This technique is often used in advertising slogans, where the repetition of a particular sound or phrase helps to make the product or service more memorable.
To add emphasis to certain ideas or emotions.
To create a sense of rhythm and momentum that builds throughout a sentence or paragraph.
Here are some examples of common rhymes where alliteration is used:
1. "She sells seashells by the seashore." This is a famous tongue-twister that uses both rhyme and alliteration to create a musical effect and make the sentence more memorable.
2. "Big Ben bongs." This is an example of alliteration where the "b" sound is repeated at the beginning of each word, creating a sense of rhythm and momentum.
3. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star." This is a well-known nursery rhyme that uses rhyme and alliteration to create a sense of magic and wonder.
4. "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." This is another famous tongue-twister that uses both rhyme and alliteration to create a musical effect and make the sentence more memorable.
5. "Sally sells seashells on the seashore." This is a variation of the tongue-twister mentioned earlier, which uses both rhyme and alliteration to create a memorable phrase.
Alliteration is used in many famous poems, where the repetition of consonant sounds creates a musical effect and helps to convey the poem's meaning and emotion. Here are some examples of famous poems where alliteration is used:
1. "Beowulf" - This epic poem, written in Old English, contains many examples of alliteration, as it was a common feature of Anglo-Saxon poetry. For example, "The wrath of Grendel, his terrible hand" and "The monster seized and mauled him."
2. "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe - This famous poem uses alliteration to create a sense of foreboding and unease, as in the line "And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain."
3. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot - This poem also uses alliteration to create a sense of fragmentation and unease, as in the line "When the evening is spread out against the sky / Like a patient etherized upon a table."
5. "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost - This poem uses alliteration to create a sense of stillness and quiet, as in the line "The only other sound's the sweep / Of easy wind and downy flake."
Alliteration is commonly used in movie songs to create a specific effect on the audience. It helps to create a musical effect and make the lyrics more memorable. Here are some examples of alliteration used in famous movie songs:
1. "Hakuna Matata" from "The Lion King" (1994) - The song uses alliteration in the line "When I was a young warthog" and "He's a big pig" to create a playful and catchy tune.
2. "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from "Mary Poppins" (1964) - The song uses alliteration throughout the title to create a memorable and fun-to-say word.
3. "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music" (1965) - The song uses alliteration in the line "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens" to create a sense of comfort and joy.
4. "Be Our Guest" from "Beauty and the Beast" (1991) - The song uses alliteration in the line "Course by course, one by one" to create a sense of grandeur and elegance.
5. "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" from "The Lion King" (1994) - The song uses alliteration in the line "I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!" to create a sense of power and confidence.
Assonance
Assonance is a literary device that involves the repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words or phrases. It adds to the musical quality, rhythm, and tone of a piece of writing. The use of assonance can create a sense of unity and cohesion in a sentence or a paragraph, and it can also enhance the emotional impact of the writing.
Examples:
1. "Men sell the wedding bells" - In this sentence, the "e" sound in "men," "sell," and "wedding bells" is repeated.
2. "I feel the need for speed" - In this sentence, the "ee" sound in "feel," "need," and "speed" is repeated.
3. "Hear the mellow wedding bells" - In this sentence, the "e" sound in "hear," "mellow," and "wedding bells" is repeated.
4. "The light of the fire is a sight" - In this sentence, the "i" sound in "light," "fire," and "sight" is repeated.
5. "Go slow over the road" - In this sentence, the "o" sound in "go," "slow," and "road" is repeated.
6. "To be, or not to be, that is the question." - This famous line from Shakespeare's play Hamlet contains assonance in the repetition of the "o" sound in "to be" and "not to be."
7. "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary" - Edgar Allan Poe's poem
TheRavencontains assonance in the repetition of the "i" and "e" sounds in "midnight," "pondered," "weak," and
"weary."
By using Assonance in speechesspeakers emphasize key ideas and also create a sense of rhythm and flow. |Some examples are :
1. "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:
'We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal.'" -
Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech contains many examples of assonance,
including the repeated "i" sound in "dream," "live," and "equal."
2. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." -
In his inaugural address, President John F. Kennedy
used assonance to emphasize the importance of civic duty and responsibility,
with the repeated "o" sound in "country" and "do."
3. "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds,
we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." -
Winston Churchill's famous speech to the British people during World War II
uses assonance to create a sense of determination and resolve,
with the repeated "i" and "e" sounds in "fight," "beaches," "fields," and "surrender."
4. "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation,
conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." -
In his Gettysburg Address, President Abraham Lincoln
used assonance to emphasize the importance of the American founding principles,
with the repeated "e" sound in "seven," "brought," "dedicated," and "equal."
Assonance in Rhymes :
In School rhymes, through repetition of vowel sounds within words or syllables, various effects
are created - from musical. playful, catchy soothing, and gentle.
1. "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers" - This tongue twister is full of assonance,
with the repeated "i" sounds.
2. "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" -
This rhyme features the repeated "oo" sound in "wood," "would," and "chuck."
3. "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!" -
The repeated "ee" sound creates a sense of excitement and enthusiasm in this chant.
4. "Hickory, Dickory, dock, the mouse ran up the clock" -
The repeated "i" sound in "hickory," "dickory," and "clock" creates a catchy rhythm.
5. "Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow" -
The repeated "a" and "i" sounds in "Mary," "had," "little," and "its" create a gentle, soothing effect.
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