“If I Had A Choice” By Walt Whitan Essay

Wave likeness in Walt Whitmans If I Had the Choice Although not cadently or metrically consistent throughout, Walt Whitmans verse If I Had the Choice is very consistent in its attempt to resemble the characteristics, specifically the waves, of the sea whether read, heard, or seen, the metrical compositions adaptation to a waves nature is clearly evident. Whitmans use of repeated, but not uniform, rhythm in the poem exposes the up and down nature of waves, go the sudden, drastic heighten in rhythm helps depict the crashing of a wave. The metrical variation in the poem connaturally attributes to the resemblance of a wave, for it goes hand in hand with the length of each position, giving the poem the physical characteristics of a wave.While the there is no metrical consistency throughout the poem (probably make because no two waves be identically alike), there is a noticeable pattern and consistency in the rhythm of the poem. The consecutive use of iambs in the first tail fin ties of the poem help to not except emphasize the steady motion of the sea, but more importantly to give the poem a star of the up and down motion of the waves in the sea the pattern of un stress/stressed/unstressed/stressed syllables in every airwave is very similar to the up and down undulation of a wave.The electric switch from the iambic rhythm in lines one through five to a loud, sudden spondee in line six clearly depicts the image of a wave crashing. The spondaic rhythm (stress/stress) of the first two wrangling in line six, These, these, is an unexpected, drastic change from the prior unstressed/stressed pattern. Similar to the crashing of a wave, this change was drastic, and quick it does not last long, hence the reason for the poems quick return to an iambic rhythm. The poems last three lines are once again consistently iambic they are arse to the quiet, pacific motion of waves in the sea.Just as the height of a wave affects the billet of a wave, the meter of this poem affects its rhythm. Although there is no specific pattern for the number of feet per line in this poem, the meter is still greatly significant. When broken up iambically, the number of feet increase steadily from line one to four, until we reach line five, the longest (10 feet) line. The length of line five is significantly important in portraying the nature of waves it is representative of the amplitude of a wave before it is aboutto crash. Line five is ten feet long because it is followed by line six, the line in which there was a sudden rhythmical change, which portrayed the crashing of the wave. Once it crashes, the waves return to their prior size, just as the following lines of the poem go back to having the same range of feet as they did before line five.The alternating number of feet per line also allow the poems structure to resemble a wave no two waves are similar in frequency (height) or amplitude (width), just as no two sentences of this poem are identical in leng th. As the lines approach the gist of the poem, they get longer, and then begin decreasing in size after they reached the longest direct, line five. Since line five, the middle of the poem, is the longest line, when held sideways, this line is representative of the middle of a wave, its highest point right before it crashes.By using rhythm and meter skillfully, this poem is successful in imitating the rhythm of the sea, and the meter of the waves in the sea. In doing this, Whitman makes a very distinctive point rhythm and meter affect each other, just as the height of a wave affects its crash. This relationship is evident whether one reads, sees or hears this poem.