The Rhythm of Poetry: Syllable - Poetic feet - Meter
Syllables English words have clear syllables. We can usually divide words into syllables easily. We can also determine which syllables to emphasize, or stress in each word. For example: Angel = AN-gel (not an-gel) Complete = com-plete (not COM-plete)
More Syllables poem = PO-em.(1 stressed + 1 unstressed) poetry = PO-e-try.(1 stressed + 2 unstressed) relief = re-lief. (1 unstressed + 1 stressed) recommend = re-com-mend. (2 unstressed + 1 stressed) discomfort = dis-com-fort (1 unstressed + 1 stressed + 1 unstressed) entertainment = en-ter-tain-ment (2 unstressed + 1 stressed + 1 unstressed)
Scansion (1) the act of scanning, or analyzing poetry in terms of its rhythmic components (2) the graphic representation, indicated by marked accents, feet, etc., of the rhythm of a line or lines of verse You may have seen scansion marks like the following: The curved lines are unstressed syllables while the straight slashes are stressed
Poetic Meter Meters are the rhythms within poems. Meters are the arrangement of stressed/unstressed syllables to occur at apparently equal intervals. Metered verse has prescribed rules as to the number and placement of syllables used per line.
Poetic Foot A poetic foot is a repeated sequence of rhythm comprised of two or more stressed and/or unstressed syllables. Poetic meter is comprised of poetic feet
Five main patterns to poetic feet: 1. Iambic 2. Trochaic 3. Anapestic 4. Dactylic 5. Spondaic
Iambic pattern 1 unstressed syllable followed by 1 stressed syllable EXAMPLES: repose (re-pose) belief (be-lief) complete (com-plete)
Trochaic Pattern 1 stressed syllable followed by 1 unstressed syllable EXAMPLES: garland (GAR-land) speaking (SPEAK-ing) value (VAL-ue)
Anapestic pattern 2 unstressed syllables followed by 1 stressed syllable EXAMPLES: on the road interrupt (in-ter-rupt) unabridged, contradict, engineer, masquerade, Galilee
Dactylic pattern 1 stressed syllable followed by 2 unstressed syllables EXAMPLE: happiness (HAP-pi-ness) galloping (GAL-lop-ing) fortunate, Saturday, daffodil, murmuring, rhapsody
Spondaic Pattern All syllables have equal stress EXAMPLE: Heartbreak Out, out "pen-knife," "ad hoc," "heartburn"
The Iambic foot The iamb = (1 unstressed syllable + 1 stressed syllable) is the most common poetic foot in English verse. iambic foot examples: behold destroy the sun (articles such as the would be considered unstressed syllables) and watch (conjunctions such as and would be considered unstressed syllables)
Lines containing iambic feet Behold / and watch / the sun / destroy / and grow (5 iambs) When I / do COUNT / the CLOCK / that TELLS / the TIME [Shakespeare s Sonnet 12] (5 iambs) Shall I / compare /thee to / a sum / mer's day? [Shakespeare s Sonnet 12] (5 iambs) Come live/ with me/ and be/ my love (4 iambs) (poem by Christopher Marlowe)
Trochaic poem: a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's The Song of Hiawatha By the / shores of / Gitche / Gumee, By the / shining / Big-Sea /-Water, Stood the / wigwam / of No / komis, Daughter / of the / Moon, No / komis. Dark behind it rose the forest, Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees, Rose the firs with cones upon them; Bright before' it beat the water, Beat the clear and sunny water, Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.
Anapestic poetry: 2 unstressed syllables + 1 stressed one Limericks contain anapestic meter (in blue) A Limerick by Edward Lear: There was / an Old Man / with a beard, Who said, "It is just / as I feared! Two Owls / and a Hen, Four Larks / and a Wren, Have all / built their nests / in my beard!"
Dactylic poem: 1 stressed + 2 unstressed Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson Half a league, / half a league, Half a league / onward, All in the / valley of / Death Rode the / six hundred. "Forward, the / Light Brigade! Charge for the / guns!" he said: Into the / valley of / Death Rode the / six hundred.
Spondaic Poem: 2 equal syllables Because of this nature of the spondee, a serious poem cannot be solely spondaic. It would be almost impossible to construct a poem entirely of stressed syllables. Therefore, the spondee usually occurs within a poem having another dominant rhythm scheme.
Combinations of Poetic Feet One foot per line: monometer Two feet per line : dimeter Three feet per line : trimeter Four feet per line : tetrameter Five feet per line : pentameter Six feet per line : hexameter
Type + Number = Meter Types of Poetic Feet Iambic (1 unstressed + 1 stressed) Trochaic (1 stressed + 1 unstressed) Anapestic (2 unstressed + 1 stressed) Dactylic (1 stressed + 2 unstressed) Spondaic (all syllables equal) Number of feet per line Monometer Dimeter Trimeter Tetrameter Pentameter Hexameter
Meters & Feet Q: If a poem had 1 foot per line, and the foot was iambic (1 unstressed + 1 stressed), what type of poem would it be? A: Iambic monometer
Meters & Feet Q: If a poem had 2 feet per line, and the foot was iambic (1 unstressed + 1 stressed), what type of poem would it be? A: Iambic dimeter
Meters & Feet Q: If a poem had 3 feet per line, and the foot was iambic (1 unstressed + 1 stressed), what type of poem would it be? A: Iambic trimeter
Meters & Feet Q: If a poem had 4 feet per line, and the foot was iambic (1 unstressed + 1 stressed), what type of poem would it be? A: Iambic tetrameter
Meters & Feet Q: If a poem had 5 feet per line, and the foot was iambic (1 unstressed + 1 stressed), what type of poem would it be? A: Iambic pentameter
Meters & Feet Q: If a poem had 3 feet per line, and the foot was trochaic (1 stressed +1 unstressed), what type of poem would it be? A: Trochaic tetrameter
Go ahead experiment with different metric styles in your own poetry! End of presentation.