Rhythm and Meter
Poetry is a form of verbal art that has been found in all languages and at all times.
Syllable: It means the no. of vowels in a word like the word cat /kæt/ that has one vowel sound /æ/, so it’s 1 syllable word. The curved lines are unstressed syllables, while the straight slashes are stressed. The word dictionary /ˈdɪkʃənri/ has /I/, /ə/ and /i/ 3 vowel sounds------------ 3 syllables. ʃiː ɪz maɪ bɪˈlʌvɪd (She is my beloved.) 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 like:
Angel AN-gel ? (not an-GEL), Complete com-PLETE ? (not COM-plete), 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)
Word Stress Rules: There are two very simple rules about word stress. Firstly, one word has only one stress. We can only stress vowels, not consonants. The rules of Stress are:
1. Stress on most of the first syllable if they are 2-syllable nouns and adjectives like PRESent, Export, CHIna, Table, PRESent, SLENder, CLEVer, HAPpy, SAMples, CARton, PURple, RAIny. Stress on last syllable if they are most 2-syllable verbs or prepositions like
preSENT, exPORT, deCIDE, beGIN, reLAX, reCEIVE, diRECT, aMONG, aSIDE, beTWEEN,
deCIDE
2. Stress on penultimate syllable (penultimate = second from end) in the words end with ‘ic, ‘sion’ and ‘tion’ like ’GRAPHic, geoLOgic, television, revelation. Words ending in -cy, -ty, -phy, -gy and –al havestress third from end like democracy, dependability, photography geology, CRItical, geoLOGical For compound nouns, the stress is on the first part like BLACKbird, GREENhouse, SEAfood (sea + food), ICEland (ice + land), TOOTHpaste (tooth + paste), FOOTball (foot + ball), BAsketball (basket + ball)
3. For compound adjectives and verbs,
the stress is on the second part like bad-TEMpered,
old-FASHioned, ten-Meter, rock-Solid, fifteen-Minute, old-FAshione, underSTAND,
overflow Three-syllable words ending with the suffixes er or ly,
the stress is placed on the first syllable like ORderly, SIlently,
LOvingly, MAnager, GARdener, Easier
4. If there is a word that ends in
a consonant or in a y, then the first syllable usually gets
the stress. Examples are RARity, OPtimal, GRAdient, GEnorous.
The stress is going to be on the syllable right before the suffix. This
applies to words of all syllable lengths. For instances:
able: ADDable, DURable, LAUGHable
ial: differENTial, SOcial,
fiNANcial
cian: muSIcian, phySIcian, cliNIcian
ery: BAkery, SCEnery
ian: coMEdian, ciVILian, techNIcian
ible: reSIstible, imPOSsible, TERRible
ic: arCHAic, plaTOnic, characteRIStic
ics: diaBEtics, paediAtrics, TOpics
ion: classifiCAtion, repoSItion, vegeTAtion
ia: MEdia, bacTERia, vicTORia
ient: inGREdient, PAtient, ANcient
ious: mySTERious, reLIgious, VARious
5. Words that use the suffix ade, ee, ese, eer, que, ette, or oon have the primary stress actually placed on the suffix. This applies to words of all syllable lengths. Examples:
ade: lemoNADE, cruSADE, arCADE
ee: aGREE, jamborEE, guaranTEE
eer: sightSEER, puppeTEER
ese: SiamESE, JapanESE, chEESE
ette: cassETTE, CorvETTE, towelETTE
que: unIQUE, physIQUE
6. Put stress on the second syllable from the end of the word with words ending in ic, sion, and tion. Examples:
iCONic
GRAPHic
hyperTENsion
teleVIsion
nuTRItion
reveLAtion
Note: Native English speakers don't always agree on where to place the stress on a word. For example, some people pronounce television as "TELevision" while others say "teleVIsion.
7. In Proper noun, the second word is always the one that takes the stress.
North DAKOTA, Mr. SMITH, Apple INCORPORATED
8. Reflexive Pronoun usually takes second syllable stress like mySEL, themSELVES
9. If the number is a multiple of ten, the stress is placed on the first syllable. Examples: TEN, FIFty, ONE-hundred
Write the sentences of the following:
·
jʊə ðə laɪt, jʊə ðə naɪt
jʊə ðə ˈkʌlər ɒv maɪ blʌd
jʊə ðə kjʊə, jʊə ðə peɪn
jʊə ði ˈəʊnli θɪŋ aɪ ˈwɒnə tʌʧ
ˈnɛvə njuː ðæt ɪt kʊd miːn səʊ mʌʧ, səʊ mʌʧ
hɑːt biːts fɑːst
ˈkʌləz ænd ˈprɒmɪsɪz
haʊ tuː biː breɪv?
haʊ kæn aɪ lʌv wɛn aɪm əˈfreɪd tuː fɔːl?
bʌt ˈwɒʧɪŋ juː stænd əˈləʊn
ɔːl ɒv maɪ daʊt ˈsʌdnli gəʊz əˈweɪ ˈsʌmhaʊ
Answers:
You're
the light, you're the night
You're the color of my blood
You're the cure, you're the pain
You're the only thing I wanna touch
Never knew that it could mean so much, so much
Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I'm
afraid to fall?
But watching you stand
alone
All of my doubt suddenly
goes away somehow.
Beyonce
- Summer Renaissance-Released on 29/07/2022 /bɪˈjɒnseɪ- sʌmə rəˈneɪsəns-rɪˈliːst /
I
wanna house you and make you take my name
I'm gonna spouse you and
make you touch a ring
I'm gonna take you all the
way
Baby, can I take you all the way.
aɪ ˈwɒnə haʊs juː ænd meɪk juː teɪk maɪ neɪm
aɪm ˈgɒnə spaʊz juː ænd meɪk juː tʌʧ ə rɪŋ
aɪm ˈgɒnə teɪk juː ɔːl ðə weɪ
ˈbeɪbi, kæn aɪ teɪk juː ɔːl ðə weɪ?
You
sexy motherfucker, boy, you growin' on me
I just wanna thug you, the
category is bae
You gangster motherfucker,
boy, you growin' on me
I just wanna touch you, I can feel beneath those jeans
juː ˈsɛksi ˈmʌðəˌfʌkə, bɔɪ, juː ˈgrəʊɪn ɒn miː
aɪ ʤʌst ˈwɒnə θʌg juː, ðə ˈkætɪgəri ɪz beɪ
juː ˈgæŋstə ˈmʌðəˌfʌkə, bɔɪ, juː ˈgrəʊɪn ɒn miː
aɪ ʤʌst ˈwɒnə tʌʧ juː, aɪ kæn fiːl ɪt θruː ðəʊz ʤiːnz
Ah-ah-ah-oh
(Ooh)
Boy, you'll never have a
chance
If you make my body talk,
I'ma leave you in a trance
Got you walking with a
limp, work this body, make it dance
Dance, dance, dance
ɑː-ɑː-ɑː-əʊ (uː)
bɔɪ, juːl ˈnɛvə hæv ə ʧɑːns
ɪf juː meɪk maɪ ˈbɒdi tɔːk, ˈaɪmə liːv juː ɪn ə trɑːns
gɒt juː ˈwɔːkɪŋ wɪð ə lɪmp, wɜːk ðɪs ˈbɒdi, meɪk ɪt dɑːns
dɑːns, dɑːns, dɑːns
There are 20 vowel sounds in BrE. that are given in the picture.
Monophthons are 12 and diphthongs are only eight. There are 24 consonant sounds that are given in the picture.
Poetic
Feet:
Metrical/beat analysis (scansion) is the study of the rhythm of poetry.
Generally, this analysis measures (in feet) lines of structured poems. Feet are
combinations of accented and unaccented syllables. Accented/stressed syllables
are spoken/emphasized louder but unstressed syllables aren’t. Unaccented/
unstressed syllables spoken softer than the first Scansion is the analysis of
the rhythm or meter of individual poems. In scanning, a line is divided into
small units of rhythm called feet. Stressed syllables tend to be longer, and
unstressed shorter. A foot usually contains one stressed syllable (I) and at
least one unstressed syllable (V). So, spondee and pyrrhic are irregular forms
of feet and often indicate poetic deviation. To/day (V / I). The stressed
syllables (accented) are the ones that are emphasized, or spoken more loudly.
They need much physical effort when pronouncing them.
Meter: A meter contains a
sequence of several feet, where each foot has a number of syllables such as
stressed/unstressed. Hence, a meter has an overall rhythmic pattern in a line
of verse, which a foot cannot describe.
Meter = type of feet in a poetic line+ number of feet. Example: Shall I
/compare/ thee to /a sum/mer’s day. Meter in this line= Iambic (VI) + pentameter
(5 feet)
VIVIVIVIVI
Types
of Rhyme:
Perfect, imperfect, masculine or single, feminine or double, eye and para
rhymes.
1.
Perfect Rhyme: When the poet ends the lines of the poem with words which
perfectly accord with each other in sound.
Help me to blaze
Her worthy praise
2. Imperfect Rhyme: When the
words at the end of the poetic line do not phonetically accord.
Through hidden perils round
about me placed
Yet hope I well that when
this storm is past.
3.
Masculine Rhyme: Endings word having one stressed syllable is masculine
rhyme.
I listened, motionless and
still;
And as I mounted up the
hill;
The music in my heart I
bore,
Long after it was heard no
more
4. Feminine Rhyme: Words
having two syllables, the first of which is stressed and the second is
unstressed.
As if her song could have
no ending
I saw her singing at her
work
And over the sickle
bending.
5.
Eye rhyme: Eye rhyme is the use
of words whose endings are spelled alike, but the pronunciations of which are
different such as: daughter and laughter; prove and love.
Some ne’er advance a
judgment of their own,
But catch the spreading notion of the town
6. Para-rhyme: Para-rhyme is the use of words the consonant sounds of
which are the same, but the interior vowels are different, e.g. escaped and
scooped.
It seemed that out of
battle I escaped
Down some profound dull tunnel, long since scooped
Through granites which titanic wars had groined
Yet also there encumbered sleepers groaned.
Meter
Meters are the rhythms or basic rhythmic
structure of a verse or line within a poem. Meters
are the arrangement of stressed/unstressed syllables to occur at apparently
equal intervals. Reading meter aloud is a similar way to test our ears.
Metered verse has prescribed rules as to the number and placement of syllables
used per line. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific
verse meter, or a certain set of meters alternating in a particular order.The
study and the actual use of meters and forms of versification are both known
as prosody. (Within linguistics, “prosody’ is used in a more general
sense that includes not only poetic meter but also the rhythmic aspects
of prose, whether formal or informal, that vary from language to language,
and sometimes between poetic traditions.) The opening to
Shakespeare’s famous Sonnet, which of the following readings sounds
better?
This one: “shall
I comPARE thee TO a SUMmer’s DAY?” (It’s
best) or This one: “SHALL
i COMpare THEE to A sumMER’s day?” What about this this opening line
to Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven?” This one: “ONCE upON a MIDnight DREARy, WHILE i PONdered
WEAK and WEARy?” Or this one: “once UPon A midNIGHT drear-Y, while I ponDERED
weak AND wear-Y?” The first
one again, right?
In
both cases, the reason that the first example works is because my pronunciation
matches the poetic meter of the words in each line. The other readings
I’ve read in the opposite meter, and they sound funny and unnatural. So
how do we describe this difference? The most common way to do so in
English is to follow the stresses in each phrase of the line. As you
probably know, words in the English languages are composed of a set of stressed
and unstressed syllables.In poetry, these syllables are often arranged to
create repeating, sonic or auditory units-what literary critics call “feet”
that compose the meter of a given poem.
Poetic
Meter: The poetic foot is a repeated sequence of rhythm comprised of two or more stressed and/or unstressed syllables. The poetic meter is
comprised of poetic feet
The five main patterns of poetic feet are:
1. Iambic
2. Trochaic
3. Anapestic
4. Dactylic
5. Spondaic
6. Pyrrhic
1.
Iambic pattern: One unstressed syllable(v) followed by one stressed
syllable(I). Therefore Iambic is (VI) =
unstressed/stressed like, repose (re-POSE), belief (be-LIEF), complete
(com-PLETE), a/BOUT
Shakespeare’s sonnet,
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” has the following metrical pattern
(da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM). The repeating unit here is one
unstressed syllable and one stressed syllable. This type of metrical foot
is called an iamb and there are five of them here. Since “penta” is the
prefix for five, we call this metrical form “iambic pentameter,” the
most common meter in English poetry.
2. Trochaic: (IV)= stressed/ unstressed (1 stressed syllable followed by 1 unstressed syllable) like garland (GAR-land), peaking (SPEAK-ing), value (VAL-ue), PRET/ty, SUN/ny
In Poe’s line, “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,” you’ll notice the opposite pattern (DA dum, DA dum, DA dum, DA dum, DA dum DA dum Da dum DA dum.” The repeating unit in this pattern is one stressed and one unstressed syllable. This metrical foot is called a trochee and there are 8 of them in this line. Since “octo” or “octa” are the prefixes for 8, we call Poe’s metrical form “trochaic octameter.” Iambs and trochees are two of the most common types of poetic feet, so you’ll definitely want to look for them while reading poetry.
3.
Anapestic Pattern: (VVI)=
stressed/stressed/ unstressed (2 unstressed syllables followed by 1 stressed
syllable), un/der/STAN, on the road, interrupt
(in-ter-RUPT), unabridged, contradict,
engineer, masquerade, Galilee
But
poems can also use metrical units of three syllables. Consider the following
opening lines from Clement Clarke Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas”:
“Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was
stirring, not even a mouse.” Here, the meter pattern is: unstressed
unstressed stressed, unstressed unstressed stressed.” (“Twas the NIGHT before
CHRISTmas.”) This unit is called an anapest, and there are 4 of them in each
line here. The prefix for 4 is “tetra”, so the meter is anapestic tetrameter.
4.
Dactylic Pattern: (IVV)=
stressed/unstressed/unstressed,The final common metrical foot is the opposite
of an anapest: a dactyl,
which is a 3-syllable unit that starts with 1 stressed syllable followed by 2 unstressed syllables.
PO/ssi/ble, E/le/phent,
SYl/la/ble, happiness
(HAP-pi-ness), galloping (GAL-lop-ing),
fortunate, Saturday, daffodil, murmuring, rhapsody.
The
Greek poet Homer adopts this form in his great epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, and the poems in English that adopt the dactylic
form often introduce to this legacy. For example, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
uses dactylic hexameter in his epic poem “Evangeline,” which begins: “This
is the forest primeval, the murmuring pines and the hemlocks.”
Dactyls may seem rare, but rap artists have recently
adopted this triplet form to great effect. Consider the following lyrics
from Migos’ song “Versace”:Drownin' in compliments, pool in the backyard
that look like Metropolis
I think I'm sellin' a million first week,
man, I guess I'm an optimist
Born in Toronto, but sometimes I feel like
Atlanta adopted us
Though the subject is obviously very different, the meter here is identical to Longfellow’s (and, by extension, Homer’s) epic poetry. Because there are six dactyls in each line, the meter of this song is also dactylic hexameter.
.5.
Spondaic Pattern
(II)=
stressed/ stressed (All syllables have equal stress)
HEART/BREAK (Heartbreak)
Out, out
pen-knife,
ad hoc,
heartburn
6.
Pyrrhic Pattern
(VV)=
unstressed/ unstressed (All syllables have equal unstressed)
in /the
at/ the
Iamb, trochee, anapest, dactyl. If you can recognize these four kinds of metrical feet, you’ll be well on your way to reading poetry in a clearer and more natural-sounding way. The next step, of course, is to determine why that matters-how meter can be used not only to read a poem or song but also to interpret it. While there are many ways to answer this question, let me give you one simple suggestion that I have found useful in teaching. Once you have identified the dominant metrical form in a given poem, look for moments where the meter breaks from that form. These moments are often good places to build out an interpretation because when we spot them, we can ask WHY the meter breaks at that place and what that sonic dissonance might be conveying. Consider the start of John Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost,” which tells the story of Adam and Eve’s exile from the garden of Eden. The poem is written in blank verse iambic pentameter, see if you can spot the moment. where the meter breaks in these opening lines:
The
Iambic foot: The iamb (1 unstressed syllable 1 stressed syllable) is the most
common poetic foot in English verse like
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)
Christopher Marlowe’s 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 oneLimericks 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 has 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 or Number of feet per line
One
foot per line monometer, Two feet per line diameter, Three feet per line
tri-meter, Four feet per line tetrameter, Five feet per line pentameter and Six
feet per line hexameter. Therefore, they precisely are Monometer,
Di-meter, Tri-meter, Tetrameter, Pentameter and Hexameter.
Type Number Meter: Types
of Poetic Feet
a. Iambic (1 unstressed 1 stressed)
b. Trochaic (1 stressed 1 unstressed)
c. Anapestic (2 unstressed 1 stressed)
d. Dactylic (1 stressed 2 stressed)
e. Spondaic (all syllables equal)
GK
a.
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
b. Meters Feet 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
c. 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
d. 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
e. 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
f. 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
Main
types of foot: A
single poetic line is called a verse, and different verse lengths are defined
in terms of the number and type of poetic feet they contain:
Monometer:
One foot
Pentameter
: five feet
Dimeter
: two feet
Hexameter
: six feet
Trimeter
: three feet
heptameter
: seven feet
Tetrameter:
four feet
Main types of foot Here are
examples of different metrical lines:
i) Iambic pentameter:
From fair/est creat/ures we
/ desire / increase.
That their / beau/ties Rose
/ might ne/ver die.
ii) Iambic trimeter:
It is / the eve/ning hour,
How si/lent all/doth lie.
Main
types of foot
iii) Trochaic tetrameter:
Come my / Celia / let us /
prove.
While we / may the / sports
of / love.
iv) Dactylic tetrameter:
Woman much / missed how you
/ call t o me / call to me.
Saying that / now you are /
not as you / were.
Main types of foot
v) Anapestic tetrameter:
The assyr / ian came down /
like the wolf / on the fold.
And his co / horts were
burn / ing in pur / ple and gold.
The
Rhythm of Poetry
· A poetic device to have poetic effect. Repeats of the same sound/s ending line in a poem.
· Gives musical quality emotional and logical nexus.
· Has Syllable, Poetic feet and Meter.
· Is the regular variation of weak and strong syllables in a stretch of language.
· A word of more than one syllable has a stress on one of its syllables.
· Strong stresses only exist compared to the unaccented syllables next to them by dint of a sentence’s meaning & value.
· Could be explained in terms of the variation in stress from one syllable to another.