RHYME SCHEME

A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyme between lines of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme. In other words, it is the pattern of end rhymes or lines. A rhyme scheme gives the scheme of the rhyme; a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem (the end words).

For example “A,B,A,B,” indicates a four-line stanza in which the first and third lines rhyme, as do the second and fourth. Here is an example of this rhyme scheme from To Anthea, Who May Command Him Any Thing by Robert Herrick:

Bid me to weep, and I will weep While I have eyes to see; And having none, and yet I will keep A heart to weep for thee.

A B A B

There are many different such forms, each with its own associations and resonances to cause a particular effect on the reader. A basic distinction is between rhyme schemes that apply to a single stanza, and those that continue their pattern throughout an entire poem (see chain rhyme). There are also more elaborate related forms, like the sestina – which requires repetition of exact words in a complex pattern.

In English, highly repetitive rhyme schemes are unusual.^{[citation needed]} English has more vowel sounds than Italian, for example, meaning that such a scheme would be far more restrictive for an English writer than an Italian one – there are fewer suitable words to match a given pattern. Even such schemes as the terza rima (“aba bcb cdc ded…”), used by Dante Alighieri in The Divine Comedy, have been considered too difficult for English.

Contents [hide] 1 Example rhyme schemes 2 Rhyme schemes in hip-hop music 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Example rhyme schemes

• Chant royal: Five stanzas of “ababccddedE” followed by either “ddedE” or “ccddedE”. (The capital letters indicate a line repeated verbatim.)
• Cinquain: “A,B,A,B,B”
• Clerihew: “A,A,B,B”
• Couplet: “A,A”, but usually occurs as “A,A, B,B C,C D,D …”
• Enclosed rhyme (or enclosing rhyme): “ABBA”
• “Fire and Ice” stanza: “ABAABCBCB” as used in Robert Frost’s poem “Fire and Ice”
• Keatsian Ode: “ABABCDECDE” used in Keat’s Ode on Indolence, Ode on a Grecian Urn, Ode to a Nightingale and Ode to Psyche.
• Limerick: “AABBA”
• Monorhyme: “A,A,A,A,A…”, an identical rhyme on every line, common in Latin and Arabic
• Ottava rima: “A,B,A,B,A,B,C,C”
• Rhyme royal: “ABABBCC”
• Scottish stanza: “AAABAB”, as used by Robert Burns in works such as “To a Mouse“
• The Raven stanza: “ABCBBB”, or “AA,B,CC,CB,B,B” when accounting for internal rhyme, as used by Edgar Allan Poe in “The Raven”
• Rondelet: “AbAabbA”
• Rubaiyat: “AABA”
• Simple 4-line: “ABCB”
• Sonnet

POETRY STYLES

The style of writing poetry differs from person to person–long or short meters, three or four lines to a stanza. But the great thing is, no matter how a poem is written, it still holds great emotion. Some common techniques used in poetry are onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, rhyming, simile and metaphor.

Onomatopoeia is one of the easiest to learn and use (but not spell). The definition of onomatopoeia is a word imitating a sound. For example; ‘buzz’, ‘moo’ and ‘beep’. This can be used in a variety of ways giving the reader a ‘hands on’ feel. Onomatopoeia is a great way to have the user experience one of the senses often overlooked in poetry: sound.

Another technique that you might be familiar with is alliteration. This procedure is used by starting three or more words with the same sound. An example of this would be ‘The crazy crackling crops.’ The three words don’t have to have the exact same beginning to have this effect. Alliteration is a great tool to use for descriptions along with raising the readers attention about a specific subject–great for dark and horror writings.

The next style is assonance. It is defined as a repetition of vowel sounds within syllables with changing consonants. This is used in many different circumstances. One would be ’tilting at windmills.’ Notice the vowels within each syllable sound the same.

Rhyming is probably the most well-known technique used. However unlike popular belief, it does not need to be within a poem to make it a poem. It is what it is.. a technique. It is however, a popular way to establish flow within writing.

As for similes, they are an expression that compares one thing to another. A paradigm of this would be ‘The milk tasted like pickles.’ This method is used in all forms of poetry and generally has the words ‘like’ or ‘as.’ It may be used to help your readers better identify with characteristics of objects or circumstances.

A metaphor is a word or phrase used one way to mean another. Metaphors are sometimes hard to spot and take some thinking to figure out, but they give writers more power to express their thoughts about a certain situation. One famous case where a metaphor is used is within ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allen Poe. In fact, not only is it found within the story, the story itself is a metaphor of memory and the constant reminder of the narrator’s loss.

These techniques are seen throughout history within both famous and amateur poems alike. To have a full grasp of poetry onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, rhyming, simile and metaphor should be words you know and use. Nonetheless, these aren’t something which need to be used in your writing. Write what you love and write often.

Other styles and techniques commonly used are: dada, no capitalization, lack of punctuation, misspelling of words, use of slang, as well as many others. The number is endless.

To view a more comprehensive definition list, go here: Poetry Dictionary