Wallace Stevens' poem "Anecdote of the Jar" is a reflection on the relationship between humans and the natural world, specifically the conflict between human order and the chaos of nature. The poem is structured in a series of three quatrains, with a rhyme scheme of ABAB, CDCD, EFEF.
The rhyme scheme of the poem helps to create a sense of order and structure, which stands in contrast to the chaos and disarray of the natural world that the poem describes. The regular pattern of the rhyme scheme gives the poem a musical quality, which adds to its overall impact and reinforces the idea of human imposition of order.
Furthermore, the poem's structure emphasizes the speaker's assertion that the jar is "round upon the ground" and that "it made the slovenly wilderness / Surround that hill." The first quatrain sets up the speaker's assertion that the jar is "placed" on the hill, and the second quatrain describes the jar's impact on its surroundings, creating a "dominion" over the wilderness. The final quatrain further emphasizes the jar's triumph over nature, stating that it has "dominated the landscape" and "made the wilderness surround it."
In addition to the rhyme scheme and structure, the poem also uses a series of contrasts to further emphasize the conflict between human order and natural chaos. The contrast between the "gray" wilderness and the "white" jar emphasizes the difference between the natural world and human-made objects. The contrast between the jar's "roundness" and the "slovenly" wilderness further emphasizes the difference between order and chaos.
Overall, the rhyme scheme and structure of "Anecdote of the Jar" serve to highlight the conflict between human order and natural chaos. The poem's regularity and musicality emphasize the speaker's assertion of human control over the natural world, while the contrasts between the jar and the wilderness highlight the tension between order and chaos.