1. Concept of Rhythm in Poetry I:
Repetitions and Rhymes

2. Rhythm as aspect of life
Everything in life has rhythm shown through repeated
Movement
Breathe
Cessation of rhythm = Death

3. Types of Rhyming patterns
Different Rhyming patterns help us create rhythm in Poetry
All these help reemphasize the meaning of the poem.
For Example:
Word rhyme
Sound rhyme
Phrasal rhymes
Clausal rhymes
Sentence rhymes
Semantic rhymes (explored in the use of images)

4. “To the tune of Pusa man” by Wen Lingyun
Petals of deep creamy hue a
Her lofty tow'ring head dress strew a
With secret smile she stands arrayed b
Behind the gauzy curtain's shade b
They meet when peonies are gay c
He comes awhile, then goes away c
In golden clasp of em'rald sheen d
Two dancing butterflies are seen d
Does she remember former vows? e
Beneath bright moon flow'rs fill the boughs e

5. “The Fence” by Lenrie Peters
There where the dim past and future mingle
Their nebulous hopes and aspirations
There I lie. (Note the Repetition of sentence here)
There where truth and untruth struggle
In endless and bloody combat,
There I lie.

6. Phonetic rhyme Petals of deep creamy hue a
Her lofty tow'ring head dress strew a
With secret smile she stands arrayed b
Behind the gauzy curtain's shade b

7. The couplet, alternate rhymes, refrain/chorus
“If we must die” by Claude Mckay
If we must die, let it not be like hogs a
Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot, b
While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs, a
Making their mock at our accursed lot. b
It we must die, 0 let us nobly die,
So that our precious blood may not be shed
In vain; then even the monsters we defy
Shall be constrained to honour us though dead!

8. phrasal rhymes, clausal rhymes
“Ogun” (Traditional Yoruba poem)
Ogun kills on the right and destroys on the right,
Ogun kills on the left and destroys on the left.
Ogun kills suddenly in the house and suddenly in the field,
Ogun kills the child with the iron with which it plays
Ogun kills in silence.

9. sentence rhymes, syntactic parallelism
“Ogun” (Traditional Yoruba poem)
Ogun kills on the right and destroys on the right,
S V C V C
Ogun kills on the left and destroys on the left.
S V C V C

10. Semantic Rhyme WHATEVER happened to the elephant- Hurrah for thunder
“Hurrah for Thunder” by Christopher Okigbo
WHATEVER happened to the elephant- Hurrah for thunder
The elephant, tetrarch of the jungle:
With a wave of the hand
He could pull four trees to the ground
His four mortar legs pounded the earth:
Wherever they treaded,
The Grass was forbidden to be there.
Alas! The elephant has fallen- Hurrah for thunder-
But already the hunters are talking about pumpkins:
If they share the meat let them remember thunder.
The eye that looks down will surely see the nose;
The finger that fits should be used to pick the nose.
Today for tomorrow, today becomes yesterday:
How many million promises can ever fill a basket...
If I don't learn to shut my mouth I'll soon go to hell,
I, Okigbo, town-crier, together with my iron bell.
(Christopher Okigbo from New Poetry from Africa)

11.   Review Questions
Identify and comment on the rhyming pattern in Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess.” Or
“Doughnuts”
Doughnuts are good
Good! Good! Good!
Doughnuts are brown
Doughnuts are fat
Fat! Fat! Fat!
Doughnuts are round
Round! Round! Round

12. Poetry is fun
Thank You