Rhyme

            What is a rhyme in poetry?

    When the word rhyme is mentioned most people think of words the sound the same with the exception of the first consonant or vowel beginning.  We think of nursery rhymes and kindergarten activities that make us come up with other words to rhyme. What rhymes with hair?  Air, Bear, Care, Dare. . .  But in poetry the potential for rhyme greatly extends past these simple forms.   There are types of rhyme where words share only similar sounds, or have similar musical qualities.  Poetry has developed a system for classifying these rhymes and making sense of why poetry sounds so musical, even if it's not by Mother Goose.

            Rhyme at the end of lines:

    Returning to meter for a moment, we remember that each syllable must be stressed or unstressed.  Every line's rhyme may first be classified by the last syllable and whether it takes this stress or not.

    Feminine- If the end of the line ends with an unstressed beat it is considered a feminine rhyme.

        Example: As I walked out one evening, (As I Walked Out One Evening, W H Auden)

    Masculine- If the end of the line ends with a stressed beat it is considered a masculine rhyme.  This is the more common form.

        Example: Whose woods these are I think I know. (Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Robert Frost)

   Every rhyme must be masculine or feminine, but rhyme at the end of lines has other classifications as well.

    True Rhyme- This is the traditional style of rhyming that most people are familiar with.  It can rhyme a single word or a group of words at the end of a line.  The rhymes may be on lines immediately following one another, or alternate in a variety of styles.  The words need not have the exact same vowels, they simply must sound the same.

        Examples: Whose woods these are I think I know.
                            His house is in the village though. (Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Robert Frost)

                            If all the world was apple pie,
                            and all the seas were ink.
                            If all the trees were bread and cheese,
                            Then what would we have to drink? (anon)

    It is also possible to rhyme difficult words that appear not to have any rhymes.  It is said that it is not possible to rhyme the word orange.  But a poet knows this is not the case. You may take two words that coincide with the two syllables in orange and rhyme them. Some words that might rhyme with or are: for, bore, lore, core, door.  Some words that might rhyme with ange are: cringe, binge, hinge, singe. Using these sets of words, we can create a true rhyme for the word orange.  An example of a short poem below.  There are claims that the words purple, silver, and month are also impossible to rhyme.  Perhaps you can think of some rhymes?

                           The sun shown in the sky like an orange,
                           The wind creaked in the trees like a door hinge. (Sara Jones)

                            I ate until I turned purple,
                            boy was I sure full. (Sara Jones)

    Slant (Off) Rhyme- Many times there are no words that adequately suit the poem that are perfect rhymes.  In this case it is possible to use what is called a slant/off/near rhyme.  The word should have a similar vowel sound and ending.  Some near rhymes are shown and brown, fight and sat, cry and slide.  The rhymes may be stretched a great deal and although the words standing alone don't appear to rhyme, within the poem there is definite musicality and rhythm in slant rhymes.  You will see examples of both true and slant rhymes within your poems.                    

            Other rhyme types:

    Within a poem there are many other forms of rhyme.  Rhyme can appear anywhere within a poem and use similar consonant or vowel sounds.

    Internal Rhyme - Internal rhyme is a form of rhyme that occurs anywhere in a poem besides the end of a line.  It can have multiple words on the same line or different lines.  They should be true rhymes.

        Example: The jar was round upon the ground (The Anecdote of a Jar, Wallace Stevens)

    Assonance - Frequently poets will repeat the use of certain vowel sounds within a line.  The vowels need not be exactly the same, but should sound similar. They will reuse the sounds over and over again. This can occur throughout a poem, on a single line, or on several lines.

        Examples: Four orange horses boarded.

                            Six pitbulls sit in it.

    Alliteration - Alliteration is the use of words that start with the same sound (usually consonants).  This is a popular tool for poets and can have a great effect on the tone of the poem.

        Example: To try takes tenacity