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7. ASSONANCE Assonance occurs throughout the poem, but it is usually subtle. For instance, note the /uh/ sound in "of Dove" in line 2, or the long /i/ of "violet by" in line 5. These moments add a bit of lyrical flourish to the poem, enhancing its musicality. They also echo the poem’s end rhymes, making those final sounds ring out all the more clearly throughout the stanzas. The /uh/ sound in "of Dove" returns in line 3's "none" and line 4's "love," while the /i/ of "violet by" repeats in the end rhyme sounds in "eye" and "sky." What this means is that the poem is loaded with internal rhymes that are obvious—obvious, because the end rhymes are a clear reference point. These internal rhymes enhance the poem's sing-song quality and build a network of keywords that bear on the poem’s main themes. Internal rhyme and assonance are different techniques—assonance typically refers only to words that appear very close to one another—but the assonance primes the reader's ear for those internal rhymes, and they're worth discussing together. To return to stanza 1, the assonance between the end rhymes and intra-line words emphasize that Lucy, despite being beautiful and virtuous, was unappreciated. Again, those words are "of Dove," "none," and "love." The role "none" and "love" play in emphasizing this theme is fairly obvious: Lucy was totally lovely, but nevertheless no one noticed. "Dove" refers to the Dove River, but also recalls the bird, a symbol of peace and modest beauty. And "among" fits into the group as well. Though it doesn't represent the theme, it does prime the reader's ear for the similar sounds to come. Taking another look at stanza 2, an /i/ sound links "violet by" to "eye," "shining," and "sky." There is an almost painful intensity to these sounds. They might rise up as parts of the speaker's plaintive wail. Aside from the effect of the sound, the words stand out due to their similarity, and like those linked by assonance in stanza 1, these words are pretty important. They describe what Lucy was like (a "violet"), how she behaved (she shone like a star), and point to the limits the speaker will go to in his or her attempts to express Lucy's mystery: the speaker will look to the "sky." In stanza 3, /o/ sounds add a final mournful note to the poem. Lucy was "unknown," hardly anyone could "know" when she died, and the speaker expresses his or her grief with soft apostrophe: "oh." These sounds require a rounding of the lips, a preparation for singing praise, or howling in grief. But this sound of grieving is softer than the /i/ sounds from stanza 2. The speaker finally admits that Lucy is dead (she "ceased to be" and "is in her grave"), and that acceptance is reflected in the sound of his or her language. Where Assonance appears in the poem: • Line 2: “o,” “o” • Line 3: “ai,” “ai” • Line 5: “i,” “y” • Line 8: “i,” “y” • Line 9: “ow,” “ow” • Line 10: “y,” “ea,” “e” • Line 11: “e,” “i,” “i”