What is an assonance?

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  • #3895
    Kate Flournoy
    @kate-flournoy
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      Hello, everybody! I’ve a question I believe has to do with poetry… at least I think I do… maybe. What is an assonance? I think I know the definition in a vague sort of way, but I would like to make sure, and obtain some examples if I could.
      Is it basically a word at the end of a line (in poetry, of course) that sounds enough like the word it is supposed to be rhyming with that it sort of tricks you into thinking that the rhyme is perfect? I’ve read poems where if the rhythm is good and the syllables match each other in relation to each line, the words don’t necessarily need to rhyme at the end to achieve what the poet was trying to achieve. Any advice on poetry at all would be appreciated, really. As an aspiring poet who holds J.R.R. Tolkien as her role model, I’ll need all the advice I can get!

      Daeus
      @daeus
        • Rank: Chosen One
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        Hi Kate,

        What you are thinking of is actually called slant rhyme, or even just slant. Assonance is when two words (almost always in the same line) have the same vowel sound. Some random examples are kick/bliss, kite/eye, meat/tree. Here is a link to a page that goes into more detail link. A slant rhyme will probably include assonance and a normal rhyme will always contain assonance, but these are not the assonance themselves. There can be cases of assonance where there is neither a slant or normal rhyme.

        If you are studying poetry, I highly recommend The Roar On The Other Side. This book is short, clear, fun, and will ramp up your poetry skills fast (also written by a christian). This is the only book on writing poetry I have ever read and I don’t plan to add to that list. That little book has got it all.

        🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

        #3899
        Kate Flournoy
        @kate-flournoy
          • Rank: Chosen One
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          Wow, thanks, I’ll look into it.
          Thank you for clarifying about the assonance thing. I probably could have looked it up in a dictionary, but a human is always preferable to a dictionary. For one thing, a dictionary can’t talk.

          Anne of Lothlorien
          @anne-of-lothlorien
            • Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
            • Total Posts: 440

            I guess I will have to do it if no one else will.

            “It’s assonance.”
            “What’s an…”
            “Oh don’t ask him or he’ll get started about art and all that. Say nothing and perhaps he’ll go away.”

            Cookies to who tells me what that is from first.

            ENFP - "One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane."

            #17865
            Kate Flournoy
            @kate-flournoy
              • Rank: Chosen One
              • Total Posts: 3976

              @Anne-of-Lothlorien
              *ahem* First of all, your quote should have been:
              ‘”It’s an assonance.”
              “What’s an…”
              “Oh for pity’s sake don’t ask him what an ass-y-thingamy is! He’s only longing to be asked. Say nothing and perhaps he’ll go away.”‘

              And then…
              ‘Most boys at this would have either flared up or gone out, but Eustace did neither. He just hung around, grinning. Presently he said, “Do you like that picture?”
              “Oh for heaven’s sake don’t let him get started about art and all that!” Edmund cried, but Lucy, who was a very truthful girl, had already said, “Yes. I do. I like it very much.”‘…

              Now where’s my cookies? 😀

              BlueJay
              @bluejay
                • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
                • Total Posts: 1622

                *Boohoo.* I haven’t seen that movie, but I can guess….. Number three of Narnia. I’ve only seen the first two. Three is in waiting. I’m dying to watch it. *falls to the floor sobbing her heart out.*

                @kate-flournoy
                , @anne-of-lothlorien

                #18591
                Anne of Lothlorien
                @anne-of-lothlorien
                  • Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
                  • Total Posts: 440

                  @BlueJay – The movie is good in and of itself, but if you compare it to the book, they change almost everything but the fact that they are looking for seven lords and Eustace turns into a dragon. And @kate-flourney – my quote was from the audio drama, which was the version I could remember. Yours I believe was the book. Apparently I can’t do emoticons on this computer, so your cookies will have wait.

                  ENFP - "One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane."

                  #18619
                  Kate Flournoy
                  @kate-flournoy
                    • Rank: Chosen One
                    • Total Posts: 3976

                    @Anne-of-Lothlorien ooooh, I didn’t know there was an audiodrama. 😀

                    And… and…
                    CatCookie

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