Rhyme

Many readers overlook the fact that Dickinson uses rhyme in her works, because the types of rhyme she uses are varied and often unfamiliar to the casual reader. For example, in addition to the “true rhyme” with which we are all familiar (true/blue), we also find “identical rhyme” (port / deport or write / right), “near rhyme” (soul / oil), “eye rhyme” (through / though) and others. [NOTE: Types of rhyme are known by many names. For example, “near rhyme” is also called “imperfect rhyme,” “oblique rhyme,” “off rhyme,” “half rhyme,” “slant rhyme,” and “approximate rhyme.”]

For the purposes of this course, it is probably enough that you realize all rhyme is not the type we find in nursery rhymes and Hallmark cards and that Dickinson’s poetry contains a rich and varied use of rhyme.

For more information, see the following article about rhyme.