Parallel Structure Worksheets - 15 Worksheets Library - Free Printable

To explain how Elizabeth Barrett Browning uses parallel structure in "How Do I Love Thee?", we need to look at how she repeats certain sentence patterns to create rhythm and emphasis.

Step 1: Identify the repeated phrase.
The most obvious repetition is the phrase "I love thee" (which means "I love you"). This phrase appears at the beginning of many lines throughout the poem.

Step 2: Look at the structure of the lines.
Parallel structure means using the same grammatical form for items in a list or series. In this poem, the author starts multiple lines with the same subject and verb ("I love thee") followed by different reasons or ways she loves him.

Let's look at specific examples from the text:
* "I love thee to the depth and breadth and height..."
* "I love thee to the level of every day’s..."
* "I love thee freely, as men strive for right."
* "I love thee purely, as they turn from praise."
* "I love thee with the passion put to use..."
* "I love thee with the love I seemed to lose..."
* "I love thee with the breath, / Smiles, tears, of all my life..."

Step 3: Analyze the effect.
By starting these lines with the exact same words ("I love thee"), the poet creates a strong beat or rhythm. It makes the poem sound like a song or a prayer. It also emphasizes the main idea: that her love is constant and has many different parts (depth, freedom, purity, passion, etc.). Even though the endings of the sentences change, the beginning stays the same, which ties everything together.

Conclusion:
The poem uses parallel structure by repeating the clause "I love thee" at the start of successive lines. This repetition creates a rhythmic pattern and highlights the many different ways the speaker loves her partner.

Final Answer:
The poem uses parallel structure by repeating the phrase "I love thee" at the beginning of multiple lines. For example, the poet writes, "I love thee to the depth...," "I love thee to the level...," "I love thee freely...," and "I love thee purely..." By starting these sentences with the same grammatical structure (Subject + Verb + Object), the poet creates a strong rhythm and emphasizes the many different ways she loves her partner.