To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme
The poetic ability of rhythm lies not only within the minds of a poetic society, but society in general. Ruling out the “To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme” theme is idealistic genocide.
The ability to write comes from your ability to think clearly. Intelligence (in a poetic society) can be defined in several different ways, but one of the best to my knowledge and in my own opinion. Intelligence defines the moments without thought or question. The moments in life where you’re looking at something and life goes completely blank. Neither a thought nor question is racing through your mind. And, for that one moment you just know it’s there because it’s meant to be there. It is because it was and will always be. Poetry is a talent, an expression of free speech and freedom. Martin Luther King Jr is a good example, his words didn’t rhyme, but they were poetic and had a big impact on today’s society. The poetic spirit keeps us going. Society would be worse off if it weren’t for poets and others who voice themselves. We redefine society and reality in poetic forms. We make even the most evil of things beautiful. We along with the media, find the so-called ‘truth’ and expose it to the world, but as follows; “the truth behind the truth is always a lie”-The Commenter.
Claiming that a poem must rhyme to be considered a poem is like saying that in order for a rain drop to be considered a rain drop, it must fall equally and consistently to the ground. Some of the greatest poets have written poetry without rhyming. Saying that without rhyming it isn’t poetry would restructure 47 percent of all poetry forms that aren’t constructed by rhyme, but syllables. Words flow, they don’t always have to rhyme. I, too, have questioned and pondered the “To Rhyme or Not To Rhyme” theory. I’ve come to the conclusion that rhyming isn’t everything.
There are so many different types of poetry that aren’t constructed of rhyme.
Haiku, Ballad, Cinquain and Villanelle are just a few styles of poetry they are based on syllables. Another thought is that many, many free verse poems do not consist of a set meter or rhyme scheme. I personally enjoy rhyme, but feel that it’s not necessarily important. It doesn’t define the meter, structure, consistency of a poetic form. It describes flow. This brings up the case of difference. Society (in any case) wants whatever they find the easiest. If they have to work at something to find meaning then it’s labeled different and normally cast out. A large percentage of society doesn’t like to be challenged whether itâ��s grammatically, poetically, ethically, athletically or any other way.
Reading, writing, and structuring poetry isn’t an easy art. It takes years to learn and even then, there is always room for improvement. On one hand, I believe rhyme stands out in poetry, when in all actuality it’s cliche. Rhymes clash and theyâ��re repetitive. Think on this next statement; Rhymes technically never ‘rhyme’ all the way around. It’s separated nouns, pronouns, adverbs and so on. They sound similar, but never technically ‘rhyme’. They never follow the same pattern, beat or melody. We use our eyes to visualize, we use our minds to create the patterns, melodies, beat and so on. As followed with our hearing.
Example: AB-AB…..ABCD say it to yourself and see if you hear the rhythm, but when in all actuality there is no rhyme. You may hear rhythm in vowels, but the words themselves never rhyme. So, how does it define rhyme?
When you hear the word rhyme, what is your first thought? Nursery rhymes? Mother Goose, Jack and Jill, Hey Diddle Diddle, Humpty Dumpty, Sing a Song of Sixpence and so on. I’m sure not one to think of rhyme in form, tone, meter, structure and what not. I’m opened to all types (forms) of poetry. And on that note; to call yourself a true ‘poet’, but frown upon poetry with no rhyme scheme, is a false claim. ‘Poets’ are open-minded; they take life for what it is. They find the negative and make something positive out of it. They never rule out forms of poetry, thought and/or feelings. ‘Poets’ express themselves in every way, shape and form.
Most would say that the rhyme scheme is what stands out in lyrics. However, I personally believe that’s false. The chorus is what brings the lyrics alive for me. The majority of poets are probably unknown. I’m sure there is a larger society of poets than what we see. But, the majority of poets on this site write to expose the wounded, depressed, feeble minded and inexperienced to what lies ahead in the world. “Cry for me one tear, without words involved and I will write for you a million words of pain and sorrow”-The Commenter
Example: Non-rhyming
“Cry for me just one tear
Without words involved
And I will write for you
A million words of pain and sorrow”
Example: Rhyming
“Cry for me just one tear
With silence in your voice
A million words of pain and sorrow I’ll write
Leaving you with a choice.”
Personally, I think that the non-rhyming example sums it up in detail apart from the rhyming example. Granted, the rhyming slides off your tongue, but the non-rhyming, is blunt, poetic and very meaningful. I’d argue the non-rhyming has a stronger structure and a more definite meaning. The question you have to ask yourself is; does structure and significance come before rhyme? I, myself, would say yes, structure and significance comes before rhyme.
Another good example:
“Give me liberty or give me justice.”
^That is one of the most poetic phrases ever used. Short, simple and very powerful.^
“People sometimes say they are nostalgic for the days when all poems rhymed, or say darkly that “modern poetry is just prose.” Never mind that Milton and Wordsworth wrote their long ambitious poems without end-rhyme. Nor was rhyme used by ancient Greek or Latin poets (except for occasional comic effectâ��a deliberate grotesquerie). You could argue that the most serious writers of Shakespeare’s time considered rhyme a bit low or less than seriousâ��a folk-art technique.”-Robert Pinsky
The line: “Nor was rhyme used by ancient Greek” stands out in this piece. “Calliope-The muse of epic poetry” daughter of Zeus.
To judge a poetic form for its rhyme scheme or non-rhyming scheme is hypocritical. It’s to say you love life, but you hate it. You enjoy the rain, but it’s too wet. You get where I’m going. Society doesn’t need more judgmental people, it needs more helpful people. We frown upon those who judge society for religion, nationality, sexuality and so on. Letâ��s not judge the poetic society for their way of writing. True poetry comes not only from your mind, but your heart. It’s a passion. Some do it of out respect for society, some negativity and some because they have a passion for it. There are as many reasons people write poetry, as there are reasons they choose the forms of poetry they write. At the end of the day, all that really matters is that there are those who express themselves, those that stand up for what they believe in and those who just let the rest of the world know that there is always hope.
“To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme?” That is the question, no longer.
In closing, poetry is poetry. It is because it was and will always be.
By TheCommenter
http://www.poems-and-quotes.com/