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RHYME SCHEME, RHYTHM, AND METER

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RHYME SCHEME
• Students often have trouble with rhyme scheme because of the word
“scheme.” Outside of literature, one meaning of “scheme” is a plan for
cheating or getting something illegally.

• “Scheme,” though, has another definition: a system of things or an

arrangement.
• Example: The scheme for the irrigation system included pop-up
sprinklers, drip lines, and misters.

• It’s the second definition that applies to “rhyme scheme.” When you
think of “rhyme scheme,” think “rhyme arrangement.”
UNDERSTANDING RHYME SCHEME
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• Finding the rhyme scheme is
fairly easy. Read the poem to
the right. Notice the coloring
of the words at the ends of
the lines. All the words at the
ends of the lines that have
the same sound are shaded
the same color.
• If you were taking a test and
asked to show the rhyme
scheme of this sonnet, you’d
have to get out crayons or
highlighters to show rhyme
scheme this way. That’s not
practical. There is an easier
way to show rhyme scheme
using the alphabet.
• “Sonnet 65” by William Shakespeare*
1. Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea,
2. But sad mortality o'er-sways their power,
3. How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea,
4. Whose action is no stronger than a flower?
5. O, how shall summer's honey breath hold out
6. Against the wreckful siege of battering days,
7. When rocks impregnable are not so stout,
8. Nor gates of steel so strong, but Time decays?
9. O fearful meditation! where, alack,
10. Shall Time's best jewel from Time's chest lie hid?
11. Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back?
12. Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid?
13. O, none, unless this miracle have might,
14. That in black ink my love may still shine bright.
SHOWING RHYME SCHEME
• “Sonnet 65” by William Shakespeare • Use the alphabet to show rhyme scheme,
instead of using colors. Give every rhyme
the same letter.
1. Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea, 1. A

2. But sad mortality o'er-sways their power, 2. B

If you were given the question, “What is the
3. How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea, 3. A rhyme scheme of this poem and is it regular
or irregular?” you’re answer would look like
4. Whose action is no stronger than a flower? 4. B this:
5. O, how shall summer's honey breath hold out 5. C
• The rhyme scheme of this poem is
6. Against the wreckful siege of battering days, 6. D
ABABCDCDEFEFGG. It is a regular
7. When rocks impregnable are not so stout, 7. C rhyme scheme because the first and
third line of each quatrain rhyme, as
8. Nor gates of steel so strong, but Time decays? 8. D do the second and fourth. The final
couplet also rhymes.
9. O fearful meditation! where, alack, 9. E

10. Shall Time's best jewel from Time's chest lie hid? 10. F You might be saying to yourself, “OK, I get
11. Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back? 11. rhyme scheme, but what good does it do
E
me?” The answer, dear friend, is on the
12. Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid? 12. F next slide.
13. O, none, unless this miracle have might, 13. G

14. That in black ink my love may still shine bright. 14. G
 WHAT’S THE POINT OF RHYME SCHEME?
• “Sonnet 65” by William Shakespeare Think of rhyme scheme as a secret code
that will help you unlock the poet’s
meaning.
Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea, 1. A
Shakespearean sonnets all follow the same
But sad mortality o'er-sways their power, 2. B form:
How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea, • Each has 14 lines.
3. A
• There are 3 quatrains that express
Whose action is no stronger than a flower? 4. B related ideas.
O, how shall summer's honey breath hold out • There is the ending couplet that sums
5. C
up the author’s point
Against the wreckful siege of battering days, 6. D • The rhyme scheme is almost always the
When rocks impregnable are not so stout, same.
7. C
The first quatrain (4 lines) points out that hard
Nor gates of steel so strong, but Time decays? 8. D objects and even the sea are changed over
time.
O fearful meditation! where, alack, 9. E
The second quatrain gives more examples,
Shall Time's best jewel from Time's chest lie hid? 10. F such as sweet summer air, rocks, and steel,
that decay over time.
Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back? 11. E
In the third quatrain he wonders how beauty
Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid? 12. F can hide from Time.
In the couplet, he hopes that this black ink—
O, none, unless this miracle have might, 13. G this sonnet—will preserve his partner’s beauty.
That in black ink my love may still shine bright. 14. G
“I’VE GOT RHYTHM, I’VE GOT MUSIC….” PART 1

• If you caught the allusion in the title of this card, you’re probably a fan of
Ethel Merman or Broadway musicals.
• Rhythm is the musical quality of language produced by repetition,
especially in poetry (also called “verse”). Many literary elements create
rhythm, including alliteration, assonance, consonance, meter, repetition,
and rhyme.

• Meter is a generally regular pattern of stressed ( / ) and unstressed ( )

syllables in poetry or verse. Just as we can measure distance in meters,
we can measure the beats in a poem in meter.
“I’VE GOT RHYTHM, I’VE GOT MUSIC….” PART 2
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• In the beat below, notice that there are five different measures or units to it.

1 2 3 4 5
• lub-DUB lub-DUB lub-DUB lub-DUB lub-DUB

• Each unit or measure is made of two separate beats. That means that the whole line has 10
total beats (5 x 2 = 10). The first beat is softer than the second beat. I can use markings to
show the softer and harder (unaccented and accented) beats.

lub-DUB lub-DUB lub-DUB lub-DUB lub-DUB

• Sometimes, though, I’m going to want you to reverse the beat:

• DUB-lub DUB-lub DUB-lub DUB-lub DUB-lub

“I’VE GOT RHYTHM, I’VE GOT MUSIC….” PART 3

• “Iamb” is the name of the meter lub-DUB as in the word convince. Notice that each syllable
must be marked.

• “Trochee” is the name of the meter DUB-lub as in the word borrow.

• Other types of meter have their own names, too:

• “Anapest” is the name of the meter lub-lub-DUB as in the world contradict.

• “Dactyl” is the name of the meter DUB-lub-lub as in the word accurate.

• “Spondee” is the name of the meter DUB-DUB as in the word seaweed.

There are lots of other names for different meters, but that’s enough for now. If
a poem mostly has iambs, it is called “iambic.
“I’VE GOT RHYTHM, I’VE GOT MUSIC….” PART 4

• “Iamb” is the name of the meter lub-DUB as in the word convince. Notice that each
syllable must be marked.

• “Pentameter” begins with the prefix “pent,” which refers to the number 5 (e.g.,
pentagram and pentagon). The root word “meter” refers to measurement.

• Something in “iambic pentameter” has five measures of lub-DUB. Example:

• But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

• Read the above line aloud and put more stress on the syllables with the accent
marks.
“I’VE GOT RHYTHM, I’VE GOT MUSIC….” PART 5

• How does understanding meter help you understand a poem? If the meter is very
simple, like that in a children’s book, that will help you know that the message or
theme of the poem is probably humorous. A complicated meter might indicate a
more complicated theme.

• Just as a poet might change the rhyme scheme for a specific purpose, a change in
meter might indicate that the poet is trying to change the topic or make some
other type of transition. Shakespeare usually had his noble characters (e.g., kings,
queens, generals, etc.) speak in iambic pentameter, but his lower characters (e.g.,
servants and peasants) would speak in regular language.

• If you’re wondering why Shakespeare chose to write in iambs, maybe it’s because
the iamb is the rhythm of the heart beat!
 DEFINITIONS

• Alliteration = the repeating of the same or very similar consonant sounds usually at the
beginnings of words that are close together
• Examples: Betty Botta bought some butter. “But,” said she, “this butter’s bitter.”
• Allusion = a reference to a person, place, event, or thing from history, literature, sports,
religion, mythology, politics, etc. to make a point
• Example: “I had a terrible game today. I shot like Shaq.”
• Assonance = the repeating of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds in
words that are close together
• Example: An abbot on an ambling pad….
• Consonance = the repeating of final consonants after different vowel sounds in words that are
close together
• Examples: East and west dug the dog…
• Couplet = two adjacent lines of poetry that rhyme
• Quatrain = a group of four lines unified by rhyme scheme
• Rhyme
• End Rhyme = the repeating of similar vowel sounds at the ends of lines
• Example: I don’t think I will ever see
A sight as lovely as a tree.
• Internal Rhyme = the repeating of similar vowel sounds within lines
• Exampes: The cat in the hat sure got fat off mice and rice.