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Difficulty: EasyPoetic Structure and Form

Consider the following four-line stanza:

The wind blows soft across the sea,
The ships sail silently away,
A quiet shadow falls on me,
At closing of another day.

What is the precise rhyme scheme of this stanza?

  1. ababAnswer
  2. B
    aabb
  3. C
    abba
  4. D
    aaaa

Answer

The rhyme scheme of the stanza is abab.
The stanza features an alternating rhyme pattern: the first line ('sea') rhymes with the third line ('me'), establishing the 'a' sound, while the second line ('away') rhymes with the fourth line ('day'), establishing the 'b' sound. This creates an abab rhyme scheme.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Assign a letter code to the end-word of the first line
The word 'sea' at the end of line 1 is designated as 'a'.
Rhyme scheme calculation begins by labeling the first line's ending sound.
2
Compare subsequent line endings to existing sound codes
Line 2 ends with 'away' (new sound 'b'). Line 3 ends with 'me' (rhymes with 'sea', so sound 'a'). Line 4 ends with 'day' (rhymes with 'away', so sound 'b').
Matching sounds receive the same letter code, while new sounds receive sequential letters.
3
Compile the sequence of letter designations across all four lines
The structural pattern is abab.
The alternating rhyme pattern matches the sequence a-b-a-b.

Key Concept

Rhyme Scheme Mapping in Poetry
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Topics

Poetic Structure and Form

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