Leda and the Swan

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                                    Leda and the Swan

        The structure of the poem, Leda and the Swan, seems disorganized at first, but upon a closer look we can see that the last line of the third stanza, and the first line of the fourth stanza are actually one. By counting them this way, the poem is 14 lines long, and is beginning to show the structure of a sonnet. This brings us to the rhyme scheme of the poem, which would have been random is there were 15 lines, but instead it has a regular rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efgefg. The rhyme scheme and structure of the poem support the fact that the poem is probably a sonnet. Most sonnets can be divided into an octave and a sestet, as is the case with this poem. Not only does the rhyme scheme change after the octave, so does the pace and tone of the poem. The first eight lines offer us almost a narrative of the scene that is taking place, and proceed at quite a fast pace. The later six lines significantly slow down and the words become more obscure. The octave can also be divided into the two stanzas. The first stanza gives us information about the actual attack, while the second stanza asks what Leda could possibly have done. The sudden beginning and the vague ending of the poem offer a variation in the structure of a traditional sonnet.

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           In the poem, the language used to describe Leda and the language used to describe the Swan is quite contrasting. If we look at some of the words used to describe Leda, such as, "staggering", "caught", "helpless", "terrified", and "vague", we can see that they are weak, and contain no power at all, which implies that Leda felt powerless and vulnerable, unable to stop what was happening. The word, vague, in particular implies that Leda was unsure of how she could defend herself. The words insinuate that she was probably caught, and forced against her will, which can be ...

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