Successful Rhythm in Yeats' When You Are

Successful Rhythm in Yeats' "When You Are Old" We read many thing a and do not generally consider rhythm as part of the reading experience. However, with poetry rhythm emerges as an important aspect of the poem, creating a mood and tone that the poet would otherwise have difficulty achieving. William Butler Yeats creates rhythm in "When you Are Old" by using a familiar rhyming meter, literary devices such as alliteration and assonance, and a simple rhyme scheme.

The poem is written in iambic pentameter, which creates a slow and even rhythm that is easy to read. Rhythm gives this poem an added feature, which makes it more memorable to readers. "When you Are Old" displays Yeats' style and ability as a poet. "When you Are Old" is written in iambic pentameter, following the ABBA rhyme scheme. This form allows the poem to feel more romantic and even mesmerizing.

The rhyming pattern enhances the poem's romantic essence and words such as "book," "look," "stars," "bars," "face," and "grace" feel attractive and alluring to the reader. The rhyming has a hypnotic quality that only serves to enhance the mood of the poem. Yeats uses alliteration to stress the mood for this poem. The sounds of the letter s" force readers to slow down when they read, forcing the rhythm of the poem to slow down.

This slow pace adds to the meaning of the poem and enhances its sorrow and bittersweet tone. For example, the poet uses words that begin with the letter "s" to establish a slow mood. Words such as "Slowly," "soft," "shadows," and "sleep" cause the reader to pause and think upon what he or she is reading. Another example of alliteration occurs when the poets says, "bending down beside the glowing bars" (9). Assonance is also a significant aspect of this poem because it creates a dreamy state with sound.

"loved," "moments" "your" "true" "face," and "changing" are example of words with familiar sounding vowel sounds that almost seem to lure the reader into the mood of the poem. "When you.