Repetition...Lesson 5

Purpose:
In one form or another, repetition is used in many poems for a variety of purposes.  The familiarity created by repetition can create a common thread through the piece to strengthen the cohesiveness of the composition.  It can also be used as a resonant echo for emphasis to produce greater impact.  By skillfully playing the familiar against the unexpected, the poet composes a lyrical quality that is used to support the theme of the poem.


Sounds
The most familiar kind of sound repetition is the rhyming discussed in Lesson 4.  In addition to the common end-rhymes used to establish a specific pattern, poets frequently use various forms of internal sound devices to soften the strident cadence effect created by the attention-drawing perfect end-rhymes.  Partial rhymes using identical sounds within a word are effective musical devices in English language poetry.

One of the most important devices in establishing musicality is the forming of partial rhymes by using identical vowel sounds, known as assonance.  The vowels can be long, such as the “o” in “tone,” “home,” and “cope” or short, as the “o” in “hot,” “rod,.” and “cop.”  The pitch can also vary from a low “doom” to a higher “squeal.”  The repetition, variation, and arrangement of vowel sounds are important in creating a lyrical quality in your poems.  Remember that it is not just the vowels, but the vowel sounds that contribute to that effect.  Thus, “mystique” can be a match for “his cheek.” In either case, the vowels are the music of poetry, the oohs and ahs of the poetic world while the consonants give the words their identity so to speak.

Some Sounds You Will Use to Create Repetition as listed above are:

Echo:
The repitition of particular sounds, syllables, words, or lines in poetry

Consonance:
The close repitition of the same end consonants of stressed syllables with differing vowel sounds such as "boat and right, wet and hot," or drunk and milk in the last lines of Coleridges' "Kubla Khan"

Assonance:
The relatively close juxtaposition of the same or similar vowel sounds, but with differing end consonants in a line or passage, thus, a vowel rhyme as in the words "date and fade"

Example

Morning Sun

The early morning sun
comes rising or the mountain,
spreading forth rays of light
like water from a fountain.

It warms the earth below
as it marches on its path,
lights ev'rything beneath
in a glowing sunlight bath.

Ev'rything it touches
bathes itself in warmth and light,
waking in rays of gold
gone the grip of cold dark night.

Oozing through the curtains
and dripping in my eyes,
it rouses me from sleep,
'tis my sweet dreams true demise.

The early morning sun
makes everyday brand new,
rising eastward doing
what no other sun can do.

© Copyright 2012 Rob G. ~Led by the Master~

By using the line "the early morning sun" from the first stanza in the last stanza, (repitition), I have created an envelope effect by connecting the first and last stanzas.

Exercise:
Turn on your radio or CD player and listen to the way different artists use the vowels in their songs.

The repetition of consonant sounds is also an important element in the creation of internal music in poetry.  Alliteration refers to the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of the word (dank, dark, dreary days).  Repetition of consonant sounds that aren’t at the beginning of words is known as consonance.  Words that both begin and end with the same consonant sounds is said to have rich, or full, consonance.  Ending words with a consonant sound is called partial consonance, sometimes also called terminal alliteration (garden, Eden, fallen).

These repetitions of sound tie phrases together musically and create a subtler effect than the ordinary end-rhymes.  Poets make conscious use of these devices, selecting every syllable to shape phrases and sentences and establish a particular voice, tone, pace, or shade of meaning.  Repetition and variation are both important in making your poetry flow gracefully.

Structure:
Repetition of words or phrases sprinkled through a poem or stanza will create an echo to reinforce a particular tone or establish a mood.  This type of repetition is known as repetend.  Repeating words or phrases at the beginning of lines is referred to as anaphora.  This technique can provide thrust to the lines, impelling them forward with great energy, but overuse can create a predictable pattern that will bore the reader.  Sometimes entire lines, known as refrains, are repeated to produce a sense of excitement or passion.

Repetition of a stanza pattern can be used to control the pace and enhance the tone of the poem.  Repeating stanza structures such as the quatrain (four-line stanza) will evoke a sense of orderly stability, while significant changes in structure will project a state of flux or agitation.  Shorter stanzas produce a quicker pace indicating excitement, and longer stanzas manifest a slower pace exhibiting a calmer tone or mood.

Rhythm
Repeating particular patterns of word or syllable accent will strengthen your poem as well as enhancing the musicality of the poem, bringing pleasure to the reader.  Just like the composer of a piece of music, the poet carefully arranges these sound stresses in clusters or disperses them sparingly to create a composition that will support the theme of the poem.

Usage
Poets make conscious use of all these repetition techniques to shape a poem and establish a particular voice, tone, pace, or shade of meaning to convey a message to the reader.  Repetition and variety are both important in making the poem flow gracefully.  Just like the gourmet chef uses great discretion in sprinkling spices into a culinary concoction to obtain just the right flavor, the poet recognizes that too much or too little repetition can make the difference between success and failure, according to each person’s individual tastes.

Discussion Topic:
How do you think repetition affects poetry? Be specific in your answer.

Assignment
Write a twelve to twenty line poem in which each line repeats one word from the previous line.  Be sure the repetitions are balanced by variety in imagery and rhythm.   

References:
1. http://poeticbyway.com
2. Webster’s Dictionary