Form and Sound
Rhyme
Two words with the same end sounds are said to
rhyme. Many poetic forms call for rhymes at
the ends of lines.
There are two types of rhyme.
Perfect rhyme (exact rhyme) – weather and
tether
Near rhyme (slant rhyme) – weather and
forever
Rhyme
The pattern of end rhymes within the poem is
called a rhyme scheme. Certain poetic forms
have very specific rhyme schemes that they
must follow.
Rhymed words, by virtue of their repeated
sounds and their placement at the ends of lines,
can help to emphasize the central themes of a
poem, or they can emphasize a contrast
between two conflicting ideas.
“Sadie and Maud” p. 573
• How would you describe the sound and rhythm
in this poem?
• Is there a contrast between the tone created by
the rhythm and the tone created by the words?
• Note that "fine-tooth comb" makes one slow
down and say each syllable carefully. That
might signal that we need to pay attention to
those words. Where are some other places where
the rhythm seems to break in interesting places?
• Patterns of sound and rhyme also draw attention
to contrasts – “home” and “comb” are good
examples of this. (Why?)
Alliteration
• Alliteration is the repetition of consonant
sounds. (Consonants, remember, are all of the
letters that are not vowels.)
A (rather silly) example:
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Alliteration often draws attention to the words
that contain the repeated sound.
What other examples of alliteration can you
think of? Do you see any in “Blackberry
Eating”? (p. 588)
“Blackberry Eating” p. 588
• What are some of the interesting choices this
poem makes that have to do with how the
words sound? (Alliteration, rhyme, etc.)
• What is the poet comparing ripe blackberries
to? Why?
Meter
• When we speak, we put more stress on some
syllables than on others. Metered poetry seeks to
create a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
• Meter can help to emphasize the tone of the poem
and contribute to the overall effect.
• Poets usually do not write exclusively in one meter,
but vary the patterns they use occasionally to draw
attention to important sections.
• Common metrical patterns include iambs, anapests,
and trochees. (see p. 575 for more patterns)
Iambic Meter
• The Iamb is the most common metrical unit in
poetry. It consists of an unstressed syllable
followed by a stressed syllable. The iamb is so
natural to English that a lot of times we speak
in iambs without trying to.
• Example: (stressed syllables are red)
For thy sweet love rememb’red such wealth brings
or
Because I could not stop for Death
Iambic Meter
There are five iambs in this line from the sonnet we
read (p. 598).
(1)For thy (2)sweet love (3)remem(4)b’red such
(5)wealth brings
Therefore, we say that the poem is written in
iambic pentameter (pent- means five).
A poem by Emily Dickenson poem repeats the iamb
four times (p. 687).
(1)Because (2)I could (3)not stop (4)for Death
Therefore, this poem is in iambic tetrameter (tetrameans four).
Sonnet Form
• Sonnets consist of fourteen lines of iambic
pentameter - three quatrains (groups of four
lines) and a couplet (two rhyming lines) at the
end.
• The quatrains present a problem or
contradiction. Each quatrain usually expresses
one idea or thought.
• The couplet at the end resolves the problem or
sums up the ideas expressed in the poem.
"When in Disgrace With Fortune
and Men’s Eyes" on p. 598
• What is the problem presented by the first
quatrain (group of four lines)?
• What is the problem presented by the second
quatrain?
• Where does the “turn” in the poem occur?
(Look for “transition words.”)
• How does the last couplet (two rhyming lines)
resolve the original problem?
And now for something completely
different…
Take a look at the poem “Jabberwocky” on p.
590.
How does this poem rely on other poems/stories
about quests and adventures to help the reader
make sense of it?
Do you think this poem relies more on sound and
rhythm to create meaning then the others we
read?
What do you make of all the “nonsense” words?
Do some of them “make sense” anyway? Why?