ASSONANCE IN THE GREAT INVOCATION STARLING DAVID HUNTER II © 2008. ‘The Great Invocation From the point of Light within the Mind of God Let light stream forth into the minds of men. Let Light descend on Earth. From the point of Love within the Heart of God Let love stream forth into the hearts of men. May Christ return to Earth, From the centre where the Will of God is known Let purpose guide the little wills of men- ‘The purpose which the Masters know and serve. From the centre which we call the race of men Let the Plan of Love and Light work out And may it seal the door where evil dwells. Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.ASSONANCE IN THE GREAT INVOCATION STARLING DAVID HUNTER III © 2008. ‘The figure of speech known as Assonance has been defined ina variety of ways, including: “identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighboring words”; “the repetition of vowel sounds in stressed syllables of adjacent or proximal words”, and “the recurrence, in near or proximal words, of internal vowels surrounded by different consonant sounds.” Examples of Assonance that would be consistent with all three definitions include the following word pairs: teach and read; match and can; snow and gold. In each pair, the internal vowels are the same but the consonants that precede and follow are different, Note that the second definition did not require that the similar vowel sounds be internal. This then, would permit word pairs like the following to be considered examples of Assonance: anchovy and dancer; of and done; Ed and best. Also worthy of note is that Assonance bears important similarities to three other figures of speech examined in this volume: Alliteration, the repetition of initial consonants, Consonance, the repetition of terminal consonants, and Paronomasia, end rhyme. The tabulation below makes clear the basic differences between these four figures: A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms, p.24 2 Writing with Clarity & Style, p.133 3 http://besbedfordstmartins.com/\ sualit/poetry /assonance_def htmlASSONANCE IN THE GREAT INVOCATION STARLING DAVID HUNTER III © 2008. * Paronomasia (rhyme): Moon, June ‘* Assonance (similar internal vowel sounds): Moon, Suit © Consonance (similar terminal consonant): Moon, Sun * Alliteration (same initial consonant): Moon, Mars Opinions differ as to the function of Assonance in speech and writing. According to the definition provided in The Elements of Poetry: ‘The function of assonance is frequently the same as end rhyme or alliteration: All serve to give a sense of continuity or fluidity to the verse, Assonance might be especially effective when rhyme is absent: It gives the poet more flexibility, and it is not typically used as part of a predetermined pattern. Like alliteration, it does not so much determine the structure or form ofa poem; rather, it is more ornamental. A website affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania's writing program describes Assonance in similar terms, calling it “another repetitional device used chiefly in a decorative or supplemental function rather than in a structural one.”' We will return at the end of this chapter to the matter of whether these descriptions are applicable to the way this figure is used in the Invocation. ‘The Great Invocation contains several instances of Assonance. The exact number depends on the definitions that are employed. Here are six pairs of assonant words that appear on the same line and that meet all of the aforementioned definitions: Light/ Mind; Ibid. 5 http://www.writing upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/repetition.htmal