TheThe RhythmRhythm ofof Poetry:Poetry:

Poetic FormPoetic Form

Poetic Structure• Form: the structure of a poem, or how it is set up and organized,

which includes:• Rhyme scheme: the pattern created by the rhymed lines in a poem

( usually labeled by letters of the alphabet)• Meter: the pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables in a poem• Line Divisions:

– Quatrains: 4 lines– Couplets: two lines– Octaves: 8 lines– Sestets: 6 lines

• Persona: The speaker of the poem, determining point of view. (never called “narrator,” which is a specific term for prose)

• …analysis of these elements is called scansion

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

stressedstressed/unstressed syllables to occur at apparently equal intervals.

• Metered verse has prescribed rules as to the number and placement of syllables used per line.

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)

Five main patterns to poetic feet:

1. Iambic2. Trochaic3. Anapestic4. Dactylic5. Spondaic

Trochaic PatternTrochaic Pattern• 1 stressed syllable1 stressed syllable followed by 1

unstressed syllable • EXAMPLES:EXAMPLES:

– garland (GAR-land)– speaking (SPEAK-ing)– value (VAL-ue)

Anapestic patternAnapestic pattern• 2 unstressed syllables followed by 1

stressed syllable• EXAMPLES:EXAMPLES:

– on the roadroad– interrupt (in-ter-RUPTRUPT)– unabridgedbridged

Dactylic patternDactylic pattern• 1 stressed syllable1 stressed syllable followed

by 2 unstressed syllables• EXAMPLE:EXAMPLE:

– happiness (HAP-pi-ness)– galloping (GAL-lop-ing)– forfortunate

Spondaic PatternSpondaic Pattern• All syllables have equal stress• EXAMPLE:EXAMPLE:

– Heartbreak – “Out, out…”– "pen-knife," "ad hoc," "heartburn"

Iambic patternIambic pattern• 1 unstressed syllable followed by 1

stressed syllable • EXAMPLES:EXAMPLES:

– repose (re-POSEPOSE)– belief (be-LIEFLIEF)– complete (com-PLETEPLETE)

Poetic Foot • A poetic footA poetic foot is a repeated sequence

of rhythm comprised of two or more stressed and/or unstressed syllables.

• Poetic meterPoetic meter is comprised of poetic feetpoetic feet

The Iambic foot• The iamb = (1 unstressed syllable + 1 stressed syllable) is the

most commonmost common poetic foot in English verse.• iambic foot examples: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 feetiambic 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: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.

SpondaicSpondaic Poem: 2 equal syllables

• Because of this nature of the spondee, a serious poem cannot a serious poem cannot be solely spondaicbe solely spondaic.

• It would be almost impossible to construct a poem entirely of stressed syllablesentirely of stressed syllables.

• Therefore, the spondee usually usually occurs within a poemoccurs within a poem having another dominant rhythm scheme.

Combinations of Poetic Feet • OneOne foot per line: monometer monometer • TwoTwo feet per line : dimeterdimeter • ThreeThree feet per line : trimetertrimeter• FourFour feet per line : tetrametertetrameter • FiveFive feet per line : pentameterpentameter • Six Six feet per line : hexameterhexameter

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:Q: If a poem had 1 foot per line1 foot per line,

and the foot was iambiciambic (1 unstressed + 1 stressed), what type of poem would it be?

•A:A: Iambic monometermonometer

Meters & Feet•Q:Q: If a poem had 2 feet per line2 feet per line,

and the foot was iambiciambic (1 unstressed + 1 stressed), what type of poem would it be?

•A:A: Iambic dimeterdimeter

Meters & Feet•Q:Q: If a poem had 3 feet per line3 feet per line,

and the foot was iambiciambic (1 unstressed + 1 stressed), what type of poem would it be?

•A:A: Iambic trimetertrimeter

Meters & Feet•Q:Q: If a poem had 4 feet per line4 feet per line,

and the foot was iambiciambic (1 unstressed + 1 stressed), what type of poem would it be?

•A:A: Iambic tetrametertetrameter

Meters & Feet•Q:Q: If a poem had 5 feet per line5 feet per line,

and the foot was iambiciambic (1 unstressed + 1 stressed), what type of poem would it be?

•A:A: Iambic pentameterpentameter

Meters & Feet•Q:Q: If a poem had 3 feet per line3 feet per line,

and the foot was trochaictrochaic (1 stressed +1 unstressed), what type of poem would it be?

•A:A: Trochaic trimetertrimeter