Question

1. identify the form of the stanza below and the type of poem the stanza is from. point out the sound effects, number of lines, and anything else that unites the stanza.

o wild west wind, thou breath of autumns being,
thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing...

Explanation:

• The stanza is a tercet as it contains exactly 3 lines. It is taken from Shelley's Ode to the West Wind, a classic lyrical ode.
• Alliteration is seen in repeated initial consonant sounds, assonance in repeated vowel sounds, and caesura in intentional line pauses, all creating rhythmic unity.
• Each line follows iambic pentameter (five pairs of unstressed-stressed syllables), which provides a consistent rhythmic structure that unites the stanza.

Answer:

1. Stanza form: Tercet (3-line stanza)
2. Poem type: Ode (specifically Percy Bysshe Shelley's Ode to the West Wind)
3. Unifying features:

• Number of lines: 3
• Sound effects: Alliteration ("wild West Wind", "Autumn's being"), assonance (long "e" sounds in "breath", "being", "unseen"), and caesura (pauses in lines 2 and 3)
• Additional unifying element: Consistent iambic pentameter meter