A Character by William Wordsworth
‘A Character’ by William Wordsworth is a five stanza poem which is divided into sets of four lines, or quatrains . Each of these quatrains follows a consistent and structured rhyming pattern of aabb, alternating end sounds as the poet saw fit from stanza to stanza. In regards to meter , Wordsworth was also very consistent. Each line contains four beats, or iambs . The first is unstressed and the second stressed, making the poem into iambic tetrameter. A reader should also take note of the thoughtful and varying mood of the poem. There is a general feeling of pensiveness and meditativeness to the text. There are also moments where Wordsworth has chosen to use alliteration and hyperbole . Alliteration can be seen in phrases like, “ shame scarcely seeming” and “such strength.” Hyperbole, which refers to the overstating of facts or the stretching of truth, is seen towards the end of th...