|
||
|
||
|
Peter Piper loved his pickled peppers, and generations of children have loved hearing about it. Alliteration, or repeating beginning sounds, is one way words can come alive. There are other common musical devices with which young poets and readers of poetry should be familiar. Rhyme is one of the poet’s handiest tools. Like a carpenter’s hammer, a poet keeps it near and uses it often. But rhyme has a broader definition than just “words at the ends of lines that sound alike.” Such words are actually known as “end rhymes.” Rhyme, in general, is a repeated sound. Here is the first stanza from Robert Frost’s “Fire and Ice,” in which we see several different sorts of rhyme: Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. Alliteration is a type of rhyme because it repeats the beginning consonant sounds of words: “world will” and “favor fire.” We can also repeat sounds within words, which is a different sort of rhyming. Repeating vowel sounds—“hold with those” —is called assonance. Repeating consonant sounds—“Some say in ice” —is called consonance. Either of these can have an effect that is more subtle than the sing-song feel of alliteration, but just as effective at creating a mood. When whole word rhymes occur at the end of lines, they’re end rhymes (fire/desire). They give a clear sense of rhythm to a poem, leaving little doubt about which beats are strong or weak when we read it aloud. Internal rhymes, whole word rhymes within a single line, establish a gentle pulse that complements the pendulum rhythm of the poem as a whole. Another technique with whole word rhymes is called slant or approximate rhyme. That’s when words at the end of lines almost rhyme, but not quite. Because of their strong rhythmic position at the end of the line, however, they still sound right. This technique is commonly used in pop songs, and was also a favorite of Emily Dickinson, as in this stanza: The Stillness in the Room Was like the Stillness in the Air Between the Heaves of Storm. Rhythm also is one of a poet’s most basic tools. It can be used in a set pattern, called meter. For example, Shakespeare often used a special five-beat meter called iambic pentameter in his sonnets and plays. A rhythmic pattern applied to a whole poem, not just a single line, is called a form. Some common forms are sonnets, haikus and limericks. Rhythm also can be used in less defined ways. Walt Whitman, the 19th century nonconformist known as the father of free verse, wrote long flowing lines that often seem to display no pattern at all. But he carefully controlled their pace or cadence with punctuation and line breaks to help his reader know when to start or stop, slow down or speed up. A poet has many other tools in his box. Onomatopoeia turns sounds into words, like Batman’s fist going “KER-BLAM” into a bad guy’s solar plexus. Other tools are imagery, point of view and juxtaposition. You don’t need to know them all to enjoy or to write a poem. But the more awake you are to the music of poetry, the more you’ll enjoy dancing with the language yourself! By Emmet Rosenfeld |
||
|
|
||
|
||
