Skip to main content

Why is rhyme scheme in a poem important? I know it makes the lines musical, but why does it matter what kind of rhyme scheme it is?

The rhyme scheme of a poem subconsciously affects the way you perceive the writing, much in the same way that the soundtrack of a movie can make you feel afraid, or the way that certain types of rap can make you feel passionate while others make you feel empowered. Musicality is a very primal instinct that humans feel and relate to, and the musicality of writing is not exempt from the ability to sway readers.


For example, consider the idea of a limerick: it follows a very specific rhyme scheme, technically speaking, “AABBA.” What if you changed the rhyme scheme and made it “ABABA?” Let’s look:


AABBA scheme:



There once was a man from Peru


Who had a big snake in his shoe


He had such a fright


When it gave a bite


So he hopped all the way to the zoo.



ABABA scheme:



There once was a man from Peru


Who was filled with fright


By a snake in his shoe


And it gave him a bite


So he hopped all the way to the zoo.



Both poems tell the same story, but the first one reads with a certain sort of bounce that makes it more childlike, fun, and songlike. That is due to the rhyme scheme.


On the other hand, breaking from a rhyme scheme has the power to jolt the reader out of their reading. Suddenly ceasing to follow a rhyme scheme is like a jumpscare in a movie because the reader/listener will not expect the change. For example, the following stanza does NOT break rhyme:



The moon is round and white,


The sea is filled with light;


The fishes swim and splash,


The boat tips over, crash.



Now read the following stanza where the rhyme scheme DOES break:



The moon is round and white,


The sea is filled with light;


The fishes swim and splash,


The boat tips over, screech, pop.



You can see that the first example was easy to skim over and read because it was predictable; however, good poetry is not usually predictable. The second stanza where the rhyme breaks is characterized by the ending of the last line where the reader is forced to step back for a moment and say, “whoa, I did not expect that.” The critical moment of thought where the reader must reflect on the word choice is very important for successful poetry.


Consider using rhyme schemes carefully within your writing to both achieve specific tones and to place emphasis on certain phrases and ideas by breaking from that rhyme scheme!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

etymology - Origin of the greeting "Sweet dreams".

Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are the similarities between the relationships of the characters in The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet?

At first glance, it might appear as if the characters in  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton and  Romeo and Juliet  by William Shakespeare do not have much in common; however, when one isolates the core of the conflicts, it becomes clear that the relationships in both stories are rooted in rivalry and secrecy.  In both  The Outsiders  and  Romeo and Juliet , an overarching theme is rivalry. While   socioeconomic status separates the greasers from the Socs in The Outsiders , last names separates the Montagues from the Capulets, who appear to be relatively equal in terms of socioeconomic status. Due to these rivalries, there are instances of deadly interactions in both stories. In  The Outsiders , Johnny kills Bob (whether his actions were justified or not is debatable). In  Romeo and Juliet , Romeo kills Tybalt and Paris, and Tybalt kills Mercutio. These deaths have profound effects on the main characters. In Ponyboy's case, the Johnny's death and other events in the novel inspire h...
Post a Comment
Read more