Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell; It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;

It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,

For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.

There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;

There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile lit Casey's face.

And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,

No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;

Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt;

Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,

Defiance flashed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.

Read the excerpt from Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. Discuss how the rhyme pattern affects how you read the poem. Does it makes it easier or harder to read? What is the rhythmic pattern? Is it consistent, like a sing-song pattern or does it change? How does the punctuation affect your reading?
Answers: that each pair of lines rhyme and has punctuation at the end of each line so the reader will pause. This gives it a sing-song rhythm like a nursery rhyme and makes it child-like.