In poetry, consonance is the use of repeated consonants in close proximity. Unlike alliteration, which is placing words beginning with the same letter near each other, in consonance, the repeated letters can be anywhere in the words in question.
In "Lilacs," consonance is emphasized in lines such as "Color of lilac," where the "l" sound is repeated three times, twice in the middle of words, in "color" and "lilac." Likewise, "puffs of flowers" repeat the "f" sound, while "preacher preached," with its internal repetition of "ch," and "poetry . . . propped" with its "ps" are also examples of consonance.
Consonance, along with the alliteration that is also used repeatedly in this poem, creates a pleasing sense of rhythm and cadence that makes up for the lack of end rhymes.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Which line in Amy Lowell's "Lilacs" emphasizes consonance?
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