Question

Identify the rhyme scheme of the following lines from "My Papa's Waltz," and explain what type of rhyme "dizzy" and "easy" is.

"The Whiskey on your breath
Could make a small boy dizzy;
But I hung on like death:
Such walking was not easy."

a) ABAB, "dizzy" and "easy" are slant rhymes.
b) AABB, "dizzy" and "easy" are perfect rhymes.
c) ABCB, "dizzy" and "easy" are internal rhymes.
d) AAAA, "dizzy" and "easy" do not rhyme.

Answer 1

The stanza from "My Papa's Waltz" follows an ABAB rhyme scheme, and the words "dizzy" and "easy" constitute a slant rhyme.

Step-by-step explanation:

The rhyme scheme of the stanza from "My Papa's Waltz" is ABAB. The lines "Could make a small boy dizzy" and "Such walking was not easy" are examples of slant rhyme, where the end sounds are similar but not identical. "Dizzy" and "easy" do not have a perfect correspondence of sounds as in a traditional rhyme; instead, they echo each other in a subtle, approximate manner, which is characteristic of slant rhyme. Therefore, the correct answer is (a) ABAB, "dizzy" and "easy" are slant rhymes.