Cacophony - Academic Mode

Cacophony Definition
When we speak literally, cacophony indicates a situation where there is a mixture of harsh and inharmonious sounds. In the literature, however, the term refers to the use of words with sharp, harsh, hissing, and melodic sounds - mainly those of consonants - to achieve the desired results.

Common Examples of Cacophony
In everyday life, an example of cacophony would be the merging of different sounds that you hear on a busy city street or in a busy market. You hear the noises of vehicles, announcements on loudspeakers, music and chatter from people or even a dog barking at the same time and without any harmony. You can rightly point out the situation as the cacophony of a busy street or a busy market. We can also notice the manifestation of cacophony in the language sentence,

“I abhor war because the cause of war is always trivial.”

The phrase “because cause” is cacophonic because the word cause follows, which has a similar sound, but d Im In general, it sounds awkward because the same sound is repeated in two different words.

Similarly, a mismatched sound of a musical band tuning their musical instruments is an example of cacophony.

Cacophony and Euphony
Cacophony is the opposite of euphony, which is the use of words that have pleasant and harmonious effects. Vowels, semivowels, and nasal consonants (el, m, n, r, y) are generally considered euphonic. Cacophony, on the other hand, uses consonants in combinations that require explosive delivery (e.g., P, b, d, g, k, ch-, sh-, etc.

Examples of cacophony in literature
In the In literature, the unpleasantness of cacophony is used by writers to present gruesome or unpleasant situations. Let's look at some examples of cacophony in literature:

Example # 1: Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There (by Lewis Carroll)
Se You can find abundant use of cacophonic words in Lewis Carroll's absurd poem, Jabberwocky, in his novel Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There.

”It was brilliant, and the slippery toves
Did turned and moaned on the wabe;
All the mimsy were the borogoves, y
And the moments exceeded.40 a4 “Watch out for the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub-Vogel and avoid
Die frumious Bandersnatch! ”

In the excerpt we see a collection of nonsensical words that are at the same time unmelodious. After reading the poem, Alice, the main character of the novel, gives her impression, which clearly reflects the purpose of the poem. She says:

“Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas - only I don't know exactly what they are! However, someone killed something: at least that's clear. "

Example # 2: The Bridge (by Hart Crane)
Another example of cacophony can be found in Hart Crane's poem The Bridge:

" The nasal whimpering of power whips a new universe ...
Where bubbling columns destroy the evening sky,
Under the looming piles of gigantic power house
Stars pierce the eyes with sharp ammonia proverbs,
New truths, new hints in the velvety hum
The dynamos, with which the leash of hearing sounds ...
Bulging bouillon, strained jelly of the stars. "

The disorder and confusion of the industrial world was expressed here by the writer through a deliberate selection of cacophonic words and phrases.

Example 3: Gulliver's Travels (by Jonathan Swift)
Look at the following excerpt from Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels:

“ And Since I am no stranger to the art of war, I gave him a description of cannons, culverins, muskets, carbines, pistols, bullets, powder, swords, bayonets, battles, sieges, retreats, attacks, undermining, countermines, bombings, sea battles ... “

To describe the devastating consequences of the war, the writer selects words and arranges them in an order that creates a melodious, harsh and harrowing effect according to the theme.

Example 4: Rime to the Ancient Navigator (by Samuel Taylor Coleridge )
Read the following lines from Coleridge's hoarfrost to the ancient navigator: 40a 440 a4 "Throats unset, with baked black lips,
Agape they heard me calling."

These lines illustrate the cacophony using the words black, baked and agape, which corresponds to the severity of the situation with which the Mariner and others are facing Board are faced.

Cacophony's role
Writers use cacophony as a tool to describe a jarring situation using jarring words. The use of such words allows readers to imagine and feel the unpleasantness of the situation that the writer has described through words.