Final answer:
The use of repetition in poetry accentuates themes, creates patterns and rhythm, and can affect the poem's tone and structure. In prose, it signals important motifs and themes. Close reading to identify such repetition can enhance the understanding of a text's depth and meaning.
Step-by-step explanation:
The use of repetition in literature, including poetry, serves multiple purposes. When an author or poet repeats words, phrases, or sentences, they emphasize certain themes or concepts, create patterns that command the reader's attention, and can establish a rhythm that is aesthetically pleasing to the reader.
In poetry, such repetition can be used to underscore universal meanings, as seen in Williams's use of repetitive behavior in "The Dead Baby."
In the context of prose, such as in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, repetition of motifs, like the green light, can subtly remind readers of themes spread throughout the text and signal the intention behind the author's choices. It also drives the reader to keep an open eye for these patterns, indicating that they hold significance in understanding the text fully.
The effects of repetition are not limited to emphasizing themes. They can also alter the energy, music, tone, and structure of a poem, as playing with these elements can lead to different interpretations and experiences of the poetic work.
As readers do a close reading of a poem, they should examine the purposes and impacts of repetition, such as shifts in tone, rhythm, diction, and subject to fully grasp the meaning conveyed by the poet.