In Emily Dickinson's poem, "If you were coming in the fall," why does she not use direct rhyme in the second stanza?
If you were coming in the Fall,
I'd brush the Summer by
With half a smile, and half a spurn,
As Housewives do a Fly.
If I could see you in a year,
I'd wind the months in balls—
And put them each in separate Drawers,
For fear the numbers fuse—
If only Centuries, delayed,
I'd count them on my Hand,
Subtracting, till my fingers dropped
Into Van Diemen's Land*.
If certain, when this life was out—
That your's and mine, should be—
I'd toss it yonder, like a Rind,
And take Eternity—
But now, uncertain of the length
Of this, that is between,
It goads me, like the Goblin Bee**—
That will not state—its sting.
How does the poet organize ideas in this poem?
The poet organizes ideas in paired lines of three syllables each.
The poet organizes ideas in stanzas of four lines each.
The poet organizes ideas by gradually decreasing the number of beats in each line throughout the poem.
The poet organizes ideas in stanzas of four lines each.
It happens in stanza 5, too. It's called slant- or half-rhyme.
Read about slant-rhyme in these sites:
http://literarydevices.net/half-rhyme/
http://study.com/academy/lesson/slant-rhyme-in-poetry-definition-examples-quiz.html
http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-kind-rhyme-used-emiy-dickinson-her-poems-70585
http://www.public.asu.edu/~aarios/formsofverse/furtherreading/page2.html
To understand why Emily Dickinson does not use direct rhyme in the second stanza of her poem "If you were coming in the fall," you can analyze the structure and content of the stanza. The second stanza does not employ the direct rhyme scheme found in the rest of the poem, where each two consecutive lines rhyme with each other (AA, BB, CC, etc.).
In this stanza, Dickinson utilizes a different rhyme scheme, known as an indirect or slant rhyme. Slant rhyme occurs when the rhyming words have similar sounds but do not perfectly match. For example, in the second stanza, "Fly" and "Drawers" do not directly rhyme but have a similar ending sound, creating an indirect rhyme.
The reason Dickinson may have chosen to use slant rhyme in this stanza could be to emphasize the uncertainty and longing expressed in the poem. The indirect rhyme subtly disrupts the expected pattern and creates a sense of unease or unresolved tension. This departure from the direct rhyme scheme mirrors the speaker's longing for a future encounter that is uncertain and not easily attainable.
By using slant rhyme, Dickinson conveys a deeper emotional and thematic complexity, enhancing the poem's overall effect. The use of indirect rhyme in this stanza adds to the sense of longing and the speaker's contemplation of time and eternity. It demonstrates Dickinson's poetic skill in using form and structure to enhance the meaning and impact of her work.