The following lines from "Not Waving but Drowning" contain assonance: "Oh, no no no, it was always too cold."
<h3>What is the theme of the poem "Not Waving but Drowning"?</h3>
At first glance, this poem appears to be about the death of a man who drowns after onlookersmisinterpret his signals for help with waving. In reality, it is about human experiences and emotions and describes depression and isolation.
Smith wants the reader to understand that this man is drowning in emotion, and the poem as a whole is a metaphor for the isolation caused by apathy and being an outsider.
'Not Waving But Drowning' by Stevie Smith is a three-stanza poem with a rhyme scheme that deviates slightly as the poem progresses. The lines rhyme abcb in the first stanza, defe in the second, and gbhb in the third.
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