Question

Read the excerpt from "an irish airman foresees his death."

i know that i shall meet my fate
somewhere among the clouds above;
those that i fight i do not hate
those that i guard i do not love;
my country is kiltartan cross,
my countrymen kiltartan's poor,
no likely end could bring them loss
or leave them happier than before.


the excerpt's rhyme scheme is_______


O ababcdcd.
O abbacddc.
O abcdabcd.
O aabbccdd.

Answer 1

The excerpt from W.B. Yeats' "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death" exhibits an 'ababcdcd' rhyme scheme, highlighted by rhyming pairs that contribute to the poem's structure and musicality. The correct answer is A.

Step-by-step explanation:

The excerpt provided is from the poem "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death" by W.B. Yeats. When analyzing the rhyme scheme of this poem, we notice that each line ends with a word that follows a distinct pattern of rhyming with certain other lines. In this particular excerpt, the rhyme follows an ababcdcd pattern. This can be identified as follows:

• "I know that I shall meet my fate (a)
• Somewhere among the clouds above; (b)
• Those that I fight I do not hate (a)
• Those that I guard I do not love; (b)
• My country is Kiltartan Cross, (c)
• My countrymen Kiltartan's poor, (d)
• No likely end could bring them loss (c)
• Or leave them happier than before." (d)

This structure sets up a rhyme scheme that rhythmically connects the second and fourth lines followed by a separate pairing of the sixth and eighth lines. To grasp the fuller picture of the poem's sonic quality, reading aloud can emphasize the aural patterns. Yeats' use of such a scheme contributes to the musicality and structure of the poem.