Question

What kinds of repetition create rhythm in the example lines? Please use complete sentences to compose your response.

Box cars run by a mile long.
And I wonder what they say to each other
When they stop a mile long on a sidetrack.
Maybe their chatter goes:
I came from Fargo with a load of wheat up to the danger line.
I came from Omaha with a load of shorthorns and they splintered my boards.
I came from Detroit heavy with a load of flivvers.
I carried apples from the Hood river last year and this year bunches of bananas from Florida; they look for me with watermelons from Mississippi next year.

Answer 1

The repetition of the phrase "I came from" creates a rhythmic pattern in the lines. The repetition of this phrase also serves to emphasize the diversity of the cargo being carried by the box cars. Additionally, the repetition of the phrase "a mile long" throughout the lines serves to emphasize the length of the trains and creates a sense of continuity and movement. This repetition of phrases creates a rhythmic pattern that mimics the sound of a train moving along the tracks.