Question

The snow lies deep upon the ground,

As white as it can be.

The woods are calm, without a sound,

From any twig or tree.

Then one hears a distance hound,

And there is no reply.




What is an effect of the rhyme in this stanza

Answer 1

A feeling of mystery is an effect caused by the rhyme in this stanza.

Up to the 4th verse, the stanza follows a syllabic rhyme ABAB pattern where final words end with similar vowels sounds. This arrangement provides musicality as well as a sense of calm given the use of natural visual imagery.

The 5th verse continues the rhythmic pattern, although it already creates tension by introducing a strange ocurrence "the sound of a hound in the distance".

Verse 6th then ends the stanza by breaking the rhyming pattern maintained and leaving the reader with a sense of mystery and tension about the unfolding of events.