– Roopa Banerjee

“Bang! Clatter! Crash! The screech of brakes, the howl of sirens, the shatter of glass filled the night.”

This sentence — harsh, discordant and jarring — is a perfect example of cacophony, a literary device used to create an unpleasant, chaotic effect, an atmosphere of tension, violence, and emotional turmoil.

Cacophony is derived from the Greek kakophonia, meaning bad sound. It is a combination of kakos, meaning bad or ugly, and phone, meaning sound or voice. The word was first used to signify unpleasant, discordant sounds, and it is still used in the same way. Unlike ‘euphony’, a word that’s smooth and sounds nice when articulaed, cacophony uses harsh consonants such as k, g, t, and d, which grate instead of gliding smoothly.

In literature, cacophony is used to create chaotic conditions and emotional disturbance. A good example is in Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear. Lear, in the midst of a tempest on the heath, utters cacophonous words amidst thunder, wind, and rain. The language used here is disjointed and harsh, matching the tempest and Lear’s emotional turmoil.

Another example is in Wilfred Owen’s war poems, such as Dulce et Decorum Est. Owen uses cacophony to depict war scenes. The harsh combination of sounds and consonants used in phrases — “trudging,” “stumbling,” and “guttering” compels the reader to experience horrors of war. The language resembles the cacophony of sounds in war, such as shells, gas alarms, and war cries.

Cacophony is also very effective in popular culture, particularly in movies. In Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, sound design is a key component of storytelling. The constant ticking, explosion, and screeching of planes creates explosions of sound that reflects the chaos and urgency of evacuation.

A more recent literary pop culture example is in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, particularly during instances of magical conflict. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the battle in the Ministry of Magic is replete with crashing spells, shattering glass, screeching spells, and frenetic motion. Rowling’s writing is heavy on cacophonous sounds and frenzy to describe the confusion and danger of the battle, allowing the reader to experience the overwhelming nature of the conflict. The cacophony is not just representative of the sound of battle but also of Harry’s emotional state as the battle hurtles towards tragedy.

This is why writers use cacophony, because sound has a direct emotional impact. It enables writers to match sound with meaning, so that form and content come together harmoniously. But cacophony has another advantage: it is a contrasting literary device. If a text shifts from cacophony to euphony, the transformation signals a return to tranquillity after turmoil, clarity after confusion. Cacophony reminds us that sound is as important as sense in language.

However, there is a danger of using too much cacophony, because it may put off the reader, as the language is abrasive. Its effectiveness depends entirely on judicious use.

Exercise

Name the books from which these cacophony lines have been excerpted

1. “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!”
2. “How they clang, and clash, and roar!”
3. “The clash and clatter of machinery filled the air.”
4. “There was a loud bang and the glass of the cabinet shattered.”
5. “The telescreen was giving forth an ear-splitting whistle.”

Answers

1. King Lear by William Shakespeare
2. The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe
3. Hard Times by Charles Dickens
4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling
5. 1984 by George Orwell