Rhyme scheme
The ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of lines in a poem, conventionally marked with letters (ABAB, AABB, etc.). Rhyme scheme structures a poem's form and can reinforce meaning through sound and pattern.
Real World
Wilfred Owen's 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' uses a Petrarchan rhyme scheme (ABABCDCD in the octet) to impose formal order on the chaos of war, creating an ironic tension between the neat poetic structure and the violent subject matter.
Exam Focus
Label the rhyme scheme with letters, then explain what the pattern achieves—examiners reward analysis of effect, not just identification.
How well did you know this?