Question

What is the rhyme scheme for this poem?Oh, I can relate a tale right here, make myself a map of miseries & trek right across. I can say as much as you like — how many gut-wretched nights ground over me once I was a full-grown woman, from early days to later nights, never ever any more than right now. (1–4) When is it never a struggle, a torment, this arc of misfortune, mine alone? It started when my man up and left, who knows where, from his tribe across the sleeplessness of waves. I conceived a care at the dawning of dawn: where did that man of a man go? (5–8) Then I ferried myself forth, trying to dole my part of the deal, a wretch drained of friends, out a trembling need inside me. (9–10) So it begins: his family starts scheming moling up mountains of secret malice to delve ∫o our division, make us survive along the widest wound of us — could they be any more loathsome? — and I became a longing inside. (11–14) My love said to shack up in shadowy groves. I was light in loved ones anyways in these lands, in the loyalties of allegiance. Therefore my brain brims with bitterness, when I had located my likeness in him, blessed with hard luck, heart-hollow, pa∫ing over his ∫entions, plotting the greatest of heists. (15–20) Masked content, so many × we swore that nothing but finality itself could shave us in two, not them, not nothing. The pivot was not long in coming, it’s like, what did I hear a poet say once? "as if it never was…" that was our partnership. (21–25a) Must I flag on flogging through feud, far & near, of my many-beloved? He was the one who said I should go live in the woods or something, sit under an oak-tree, in a gravel pit. Let’s make it an earthen hall, musty & old, where I’m all foreaten with longing: Dales deep darkly, hills hedge me round, fortresses of sharpness, bramble biting — can a home be devoid of joy? (25b–32a) For too many watches the wrathful from-ways of my lord grabbed hold of me in this place. Who could I count on? Buried. Loved in their lives — all they care about now are their beds. (32b–34) Then I, when dawn still rumbles, I wander the ways all alone, under the oaks, around these graven walls. There I can sit an endless summer day, where I can rain me down for my wracking steps, my collection of woes. So it goes — never can I, in no wise, catch a break from my cracking cares, nor this unfolding tear that grasps me in this my entire life. (35–41) The young should always keep their heart in check, their inner kindlings cool, likewise they must keep their faces frosty, also the bubbling in their breast, though crowded with swarming sorrows. (42–45a) May all of his joys come at his own hand. May his name be the name of infamy, a snarl in faraway mouths, so that my good friend will be sitting under a stony rain-break, crusted by the gusty storms, a man crushed at heart, flowing in his own water, in his tearful timbering. (45b–50a) That one, yeah, that man of mine will drag his days under a mighty mind-caring. He’ll remember every single morning how full of pleasure was our home. What woes are theirs who must weather their worrying for love. What is the rhyme scheme for this poem? a) ABAB b) CDCD c) EFEF d) GHGH

Answer 1

The rhyme scheme for the poem is ABAB, with each stanza consisting of four lines where the first and third lines rhyme, as well as the second and fourth lines.

a) ABAB

Step-by-step explanation:

The poem exhibits a consistent ABAB rhyme scheme throughout its stanzas. In a poem, the rhyme scheme refers to the pattern of rhyming lines, with each letter representing a different rhyme. In this case, "A" indicates the rhyme of the first line with the third, and "B" signifies the rhyme between the second and fourth lines of each stanza. This structured rhyme scheme contributes to the poem's rhythmic and melodic qualities.

The use of a rhyme scheme in poetry serves several purposes. It can enhance the musicality of the verses, providing a pleasing and organized flow to the reader or listener. Additionally, rhyme can help to unify the stanzas, creating a sense of cohesion and symmetry within the poem. In this specific poem, the ABAB rhyme scheme contributes to the overall aesthetic and structure, guiding the reader through the narrative in a measured and deliberate manner.

Moreover, the consistent rhyme scheme may be intentional on the part of the poet, emphasizing the regularity or predictability of certain elements in the speaker's tumultuous journey. It contrasts with the internal chaos described in the content of the poem, highlighting the tension between the external formality and the internal emotional turbulence. Overall, the ABAB rhyme scheme plays a crucial role in shaping the poem's tone, rhythm, and aesthetic appeal.