Rhyme in “The Charge of the Light Brigade”

1. Rhyme in “The Charge of the Light Brigade”

2. Watch this segment from The Muppet Show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSXLmBTTop0. Intro

3. Definition a. Correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, especially when these are used at the ends of lines of poetry. b. A word that has the same sound as another. (Google Dictionary) Example: Cat rhymes with hat. Rhyme

4. End rhyme: words rhyming at the end of lines of poetry Behold the hippopotamus!We laugh at how he looks to us,And yet in moments dank and grim,I wonder how we look to him.Peace, peace, thou hippopotamus!We really look all right to us,As you no doubt delight the eyeOf other hippopotami. (“The Hippopotamus” Ogden Nash) Types of rhyme

5. Internal rhyme: rhyming between the end of a line and within the same line But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before -On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'Then the bird said, `Nevermore.‘ (“The Raven”—Poe)

6. Slant rhyme(also called half-rhyme, oblique rhyme, or any of several other names): unlike perfect rhyme, which is exact, slant rhymes are close but not exact (e.g., wondered/hundred) Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all. (“Hope is the thing with feathers”—Emily Dickenson) 

7. Rhyme scheme: the pattern of end rhymes The golden brooch my mother woreA She left behind for me to wear; B I have no thing I treasure more; A Yet, it is something I could spare. B (“The Courage That My Mother Had”—Edna St. Vincent Millay)

8. Discuss how the use of rhyme draws attention to specific word choice in the poem. Return to the previous examples. Focus on how the rhyme emphasizes theme in the selections. Meaning

9. Introduce “The Charge of the Light Brigade.” Explain the historical context of the poem. Give a mini-bio of Tennyson. The teacher will read the first stanza, followed by a volunteer reader who will call on classmates to read. The final stanza will be read silently. Read

10. Students will form groups of two or three. Tell students that within each group, their task is to use the checklist to locate rhyme types in “The Charge of the Light Brigade.” IdentifyRhyme

12. Students will write a paragraph for ten minutes in their notebooks. Writing prompt: How does the use of rhyme in Tennyson’s “The Charge of the Light Brigade” emphasize the theme of the poem? Use a thesis statement and specific examples. The paragraph will be evaluated as a practice grade on the basis of the rubric. Write

14. Formative Quiz • What is end rhyme? • What is internal rhyme? • What is slant rhyme? • Mark the rhyme scheme for the following poem with letters (a and b). There once was a fellow named Tim whose dad never taught him to swim. He fell off a dock and sunk like a rock. And that was the end of him. (Bruce Lansky) Closure

15. If Spanish-speaking students have difficulty analyzing “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” provide them with this excerpt from Cervantes’s Laberinto de Amorinstead: La buenafamaes parte de belleza, y la virtud perfecta hermosura: que, a do suelefaltar, naturaleza suplecon granventaja la cordura; y, entre personas de subidaalteza, amorhermoso a secaseslocura. En fin, quierodecirque no eshermosa, siéndolo, la mujer no virtüosa. Differentiation