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The Limerick

I chose a limerick as the form of poetry we have not yet studied. Limericks were first made popular in the 1800s by the author Edward Lear when he published the "Book of Nonsense", a book featuring lighthearted and comedic limericks.

An example of one of his limericks would be:

There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, 'It is just as I feared!
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!'

Limericks are short poems consisting of five lines, and the first, second and fifth lines must rhyme with each other, while the third and fourth lines must rhyme with each other.

Another attribute of limericks is that the first, second and fifth lines must have the same number of syllables, while the third and fourth lines must match each other in syllables too. The typical number of syllables used in the first, second and fifth lines is 8-9, and the typical amount used in the third and fourth lines is 5-6

The limerick is a fixed form of poetry since it has a special structure. The rhyme scheme for a limerick is aabba.

Most limericks are really comical and lighthearted, it's usually a humorous poem contained in five lines.

I think what's really notable about this form is the length of it, and how the third and fourth lines differ. These two lines in the middle have various uses, they could be the buildup of a joke, two unrelated statements, etc.

The fifth line of the limerick is important as well, since most limericks are humorous, they buildup the joke through the first four lines, and the fifth line acts as a punchline.

I think the length of a limerick is also very notable because since it's so short, there doesn't need to be much time taken to analyze the poem or search for a hidden message. Because of the length, this form of poetry can convey clear humor and be a short poem that brightens someone's day.


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