Rhyme and Sound by Jack Daniels, Aiden Kendra, John Ryan, and Matt Schmucker
Rhyme The correspondence of similar sounds between two words, in most cases regarding the ends of the words. The ultimate goal in a rhyme is to create relationships between words that are either/both aurally and visually pleasing. This is often extended into well-structured patterns Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
End Rhyme A rhyme scheme in which words at the ends of consecutive lines of poetry all rhyme. Often it is used to either demonstrate large rushes of emotion such as love, or attempt at comedic effect. Juliet: My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me, That I must love a loathèd enemy. William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet (1.4.262-265)
Internal Rhyme A rhyme scheme in which a word in the middle of a line rhymes with either the word at the end of the line or a word in the middle of the following line. Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. Tis some visitor, I muttered, tapping at my chamber door Only this and nothing more. Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven
Masculine Rhyme In English prosody, a masculine rhyme is a rhyme on a single stressed syllable at the end of a line of poetry. This term is interchangeable with single rhyme and is often used contrastingly with the terms "feminine rhyme" and "double rhyme". Stand still, and I will read to thee A lecture, love, in Love's philosophy. These three hours that we have spent Walking here, two shadows went Along with us, which we ourselves produced. But now the sun is just above our head, We do those shadows tread, And to brave clearness all things are reduced John Donne, Lecture Upon the Shadow
Feminine Rhyme A feminine rhyme is a rhyme that matches two or more syllables, usually at the end of respective lines, in which the final syllable or syllables are unstressed. It is also commonly known as double rhyme. A woman s face with nature s own hand painted Hast thou, the master-mistress of my passion; A woman s gentle heart, but not acquainted With shifting change as is false women s fashion; An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling, Gilding the object whereupon it gazeth; A man in hue, all hues in his controlling, Which steals men s eyes and women s souls amazeth. And for a woman wert thou first created, Till nature as she wrought thee fell a-doting, And by addition me of thee defeated By adding one thing to my purpose nothing. But since she pricked thee out for women's pleasure, Mine be thy love and thy love s use their treasure. Shakespeare, Sonnet 20
Half Rhyme/Slant Rhyme A rhyme formed when two words in a poem have similar but not identical phonetics. Most often they will have similar consonant sounds but not the same vowels. It is used to give an inharmonious or unsettling feeling to a poem. That is no country for old men. The young In one another s arms, birds in the trees Those dying generations at their song, The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas, Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long Whatever is begotten, born, and dies. Caught in that sensual music all neglect Monuments of unageing intellect. W. B. Yeats, Sailing to Byzantium
Rhyme Royal The rhyme royal stanza consists of seven lines, usually in iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme is a-b-a-b-b-c-c. In practice, the stanza can be constructed either as a tercet and two couplets (a-b-a, b-b, c-c) or a quatrain and a tercet (a-b-a-b, b-c-c). This allows for variety, especially when the form is used for longer They flee from me that sometime did me seek With naked foot, stalking in my chamber. I have seen them gentle, tame, and meek, That now are wild and do not remember That sometime they put themself in danger To take bread at my hand; and now they range, Busily seeking with a continual change. Thomas Wyatt, They Flee From Me
Terza Rima The literal translation of terza rima from Italian is 'third rhyme'. Terza rima is a three-line stanza using chain rhyme in the pattern A-B-A, B-C-B, C-D-C, D-E-D. There is no limit to the number of lines, but poems or sections of poems written in terza rima end with either a single line or couplet repeating the rhyme of the middle line of the final tercet. The two possible endings for the example above are d-e-d, e or d-e-d, e-e. There is no set rhythm for terza rima, but in English, iambic pentameter is generally preferred. O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being, (a) Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead (b) Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing, (a) Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red, (b) Pestilence-stricken multitudes: O thou, (c) Who chariotest to their dark wintery bed (b) The winged seeds, where they lie cold and low, (c) Each like a corpse within its grave, until (d) Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow (c) Her clarion o'er the dreaming earth, and fill (d) (Driving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air) (e) With living hues and odours plain and hill: (d) Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere; (e) Destroyer and preserver; hear, oh, hear! (e) Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind
Repetition Repetition is a literary device that repeats the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer. The zephyr catches my skin like a wide receiver playing football...swoosh, Swoosh, Swoosh The crashing waves sound like a head-on collision...boom, Boom, Boom The sand crunches under my feet like cereal in my mouth... Crunch, Crunch, Crunch The salty water is carried with the wind...howl, Howl, Howl The gulls soar higher than the clouds...swoosh, Swoosh, Swoosh The child crashes to the ground like a rock slide... Boom, Boom, Boom The man walks on shells that feel like needles...crunch, Crunch, Crunch
Assonance Assonance takes place when two or more words close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds. Hear the mellow wedding bells Golden bells! What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!
Consonance Consonance is a pleasing sounding caused by the repetition of consonant sounds within sentences, phrases, or in poems. Typically this repetition occurs at the end of the words, but may also be found within a word or at the beginning. T was later when the summer went Than when the cricket came, And yet we knew that gentle clock Meant nought but going home. T was sooner when the cricket went Than when the winter came, Yet that pathetic pendulum Keeps esoteric time.
Alliteration Alliteration is a literary device that repeats a speech sound in a sequence of words that are close to each other. Alliteration typically uses consonants at the beginning of a word to give stress to its syllable. Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before
Onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia is the verbal representation of a physical sound. Ex: Geese don t actually say honk because they don t speak human languages (they are actually birds). They do however make a honking noise, and so in writing they are said to be honking
Euphony Euphony is a term used to describe any writing meant to be pleasant-sounding to the ear (if read aloud) It may use any combination of rhythm, consonance, or assonance to achieve this Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky. - Classic example of euphony, used as a lullaby
Cacophony Opposite of Euphony. Meant to sound very unpleasant/harsh/annoying to the ear when read aloud. This can be achieved either through jarring words, or a lack of any sort of rhythm Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves,an And the mome raths outgrabe. Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch! - A whole bunch of nonsense
Cadence Cadence refers to the rhythmic changes in pace when reading poetry Can either speed up or slow down the flow of a poem And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon s that is dreaming, And the lamp-light o er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor. - Semicolons, commas, and dashes slow down and speed up the tone of the poem, changing the cadence