The majority of “Michael”‘s rhyme scheme is in blank verse, therefore there is no set pattern of end rhymes. Wordsworth does, however, occasionally incorporate rhyme and meter into the poem to improve its melody and flow. Although the poem’s structure is mostly unrhymed, there are some end rhymes and internal rhymes that give the lines a rhythmic feel. These sporadic rhymes give the poem a feeling of harmony and balance while enabling a more adaptable and organic representation of the narrative and emotions expressed.

Michael Summary

1. Imagery: The use of vivid and descriptive language to create sensory experiences. Example: “The sheep-boy whistling on the lonely moor” – This line evokes an auditory image of the shepherd boy’s whistle echoing across the vast moorland.
2. Personification: Assigning human qualities or actions to non-human entities. Example: “The fleece, which the keen air had made / Into a crystal, crackling round the hook” – The air is personified as capable of turning the sheep’s fleece into crystal-like material.
3. Metaphor: A figure of speech that compares two unrelated things, suggesting that one thing is another. Example: “His sheep / … were cradled all on one green hill” – The sheep are metaphorically described as being cradled, emphasizing their safe and serene existence on the hill.
4. Simile: A figure of speech that compares two things using “like” or “as.” Example: “Like a sad exile is the other boy” – The comparison highlights the sense of isolation and sadness experienced by the other boy.
5. Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds, particularly at the beginning of words or stressed syllables. Example: “Half hidden by the mists, the shepherds’ homes” – The repetition of the “h” sound in “hidden,” “half,” and “homes” creates an alliterative effect.
6. Repetition: The deliberate repetition of words or phrases for emphasis or effect. Example: “And, in the frosty season of the year, / When the sun shines upon the fields, / I see thy tracks, the next time that I go” – The repetition of “the next time that I go” emphasizes the regularity of seeing the tracks.
7. Enjambment: The continuation of a sentence or thought without a pause beyond the end of a line or stanza. Example: “Yet some there are who with due steps would rather / Approach these silent glories” – The sentence continues seamlessly from one line to the next, carrying the reader’s attention forward.

Michael Summary