the RHYME in a POEM...

- A POEM may or may not have a RHYME.

- RHYME occurs when the final accented syllables of words sound alike. They usually occur at the end of a poetic line.

- A POEM that has RHYME means that the last words of the lines match with each other in some form. Either the last words of the first and second lines would RHYME with each other or the first and 3rd, second and the fourth and so on...

- RHYME is basically similar sounding words like 'cat ' and 'hat', 'close' and 'shows', 'house' and 'mouse,' etc.

                     FREE VERSE POETRY, THOUGH, DOES NOT FOLLOW THIS SYSTEM.


A regular RHYME scheme may make the poem's lines more predictable or easy to memorize.

the RHYTHM in a POEM

RHYTHM is the MUSIC made by the statements of the poem, which includes the syllables in the lines.

- The methods for creating poetic rhythm vary across languages and between poetic traditions.

- RHYTHM can be created out of METER, the regular pattern of accented and unaccented syllables in a poetic line, and PACE, the relative speed suggested by the lines.

- The best method of understanding this is to read the poem aloud.

- Languages are often described as having timing set primarily by ACCENTS, SYLLABLES, or MORAS. Depending on how rhythm is established, a language can be influenced by multiple approaches:

Japanese is a mora-timed language

Latin, French and Spanish are syllable-timed languages


English, Russian and generally German are stressed-timed

Chinese, Vietnamese and most Sub-Saharan languages are Tonal languages

the SITUATION, SYNTAX, and SOUND in a POEM

SITUATION - The context in which the speaker finds him- or herself in the poem. This is roughly equivalent to SETTING and PLOT in fiction.

SYNTAX - The structure of language in a poem. A poem's lines may be long or short, simple or complex. Generally we look to the line length or the shape of the lines and stanzas as being related somehow to the poem's theme.

SOUND - The SOUND in poems is extremely important. Poems can be analyzed by rhythm or the internal sounds of words or phrases.