19 pages • 38 minutes read
The Lamb
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Literary Devices
Form and Meter
The poem consists of two stanzas, both containing 10 lines. Both stanzas start and end with a refrain of two repeated lines. The refrain emphasizes the musical quality of the poem, as Blake’s poem is a “song” of innocence. The musicality of the poem is also a result of the poem’s regular meter and rhyme scheme.
The poem is highly rhythmical, meaning the meter is regular and simple. The meter can be defined as trochaic tetrameter. A trochee is a two-syllable prosodic foot that begins with an accented syllable; in other words, a trochee is the reverse of an iamb, a foot that is much more common in English verse. Tetrameter means that there are four beats (or four prosodic feet) per line. Trochaic tetrameter creates an insistent rhythm, and for this reason, this metrical form if often used in light verse, including children’s verse.
The poem consists of rhymed couplets: AABBCC, etc. The refrain lines (Lines 1-2, 9-10, 11-12, 19-20) feature identical rhymes, meaning that the same words repeat at the end of each line. The only variation in the Plus, gain access to 8,500+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
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Related Titles
By William Blake
