Rhythm and Meter T. Miller – AP Literature

Rhythm – any wavelike recurrence of motion or sound I believe you. ´ syl la ble I believe you.

never given me reason to. // Pauses… // I don’t believe you because you’ve // never given me reason to. However, // I might reconsider.

Caesuras – pauses that occur within lines of poetry A noiseless patient spider, I marked where on a little promontory it stood isolated, Marked how to explore the vacant vast surrounding, It launched forth filament, // filament, // filament, // out of itself, Ever unreeling them, // ever tirelessly speeding them. Sorrow is my own yard where the new grass flames // as it has flamed often before // but not with the cold fire that closes round me this year.

End-stopped line A noiseless patient spider, I marked where on a little promontory it stood isolated, Marked how to explore the vacant vast surrounding, It launched forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself, Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them.

Run-on line (enjambment) Sorrow is my own yard where the new grass flames as it has flamed often before but not with the cold fire that closes round me this year.

Introduction meter – comes from the Greek term for measure poetry written in a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables the recognition and naming of broad wave patterns in lines of verse (like waves on the shore or the wave patterns of sounds in physics)

Meter – the identifying characteristic of rhythmic language that we can tap our feet to

Meter continued there are a succession of lines or sentences that have the same metrical pattern, but is not necessarily exactly rhythmically identical lines are repeated again and again in the same broad rhythmical patterns, creating a rhythmical unit   eg: “To this I witness call the fools of Time Which die for goodness, who have lived for crime.”

Poetry has Feet the technical meaning – has one stressed syllable and one or more unstressed syllables or has one unstressed syllable and one or more stressed syllables is a measurable, patterned, conventional unit of poetic rhythm the non-technical meaning – connected to how we walk pattern and rhythm of steps equal to pattern and rhythm of poems rhythm of music connected to movement of body and rhythmical pattern of movement

Meter = Measure Metrical Feet ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ̆ ̆ ´ ̆ ̆ ´ ´ ̆ ̆ ´ ̆ ̆ Iamb to-day, the sun ´ ̆ ´ ̆ Trochee dai-ly, went to ̆ ̆ ´ ̆ ̆ ´ Anapest in-ter-vene, in the dark ´ ̆ ̆ ´ ̆ ̆ Dactyl mul-ti-ple, col-or of

Meter = Measure Metrical Lines Monometer One foot Dimeter Two feet Trimeter Three feet Tetrameter Four feet Pentameter Five feet Hexameter Six feet

OK. Let’s review, shall we? Whoa! Did you get that? OK. Let’s review, shall we?

Scansion the system of using symbols to represent stressed and unstressed patterns in a poem in order to be able to “read” the poem gives the broad wave pattern, but doesn’t define the individual wave or pattern

Kinds of patterns iamb(ic) – unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable * ‘ * ‘ The way a crow * ‘ * ‘ Shook down on me.

Trochee(trochaic) stressed followed by unstressed ‘ * ‘ * ‘ * ‘ * ‘ * ‘ * ‘ * ‘ * Once upon a midnight dreary

Anapest (anapestic) has two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one * * ‘ * * ‘ * * The Assyr/ ian came down/ like a ‘ * * ‘ wolf/ on the fold,

Dactyl one stressed followed by two unstressed ‘ * * ‘ * * ‘ ** ‘ * * ‘ * * ‘ ** Hickory, dickory, dock

Spondee (spondaic) is a foot composed of stressed syllables ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ We, real, cool. We left school.

Pyrrhic three unstressed followed by a stressed * * * ‘ * * * ‘ * * * ‘ * * * ‘ At their/return,/up the/high strand,/

Shall I / com-pare / thee to / a sum- / mer’s day Iambic Pentameter ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ Shall I / com-pare / thee to / a sum- / mer’s day 1 2 3 4 5

Scansion ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ She lived in storm and strife, Her soul had such desire For what proud death may bring That it could not endure The common good of life But lived as ‘twere a king That packed his marriage day With banneret and pennon, Trumpet and kettledrum, And the outrageous cannon, To bundle time away That the night come. ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ̆ ´ ̆ ̆ ´ ̆ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´

Scansion ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ She lived | in storm | and strife, Her soul | had such | desire For what | proud death | may bring That it | could not | endure The com | mon good | of life But lived | as ‘twere | a king That packed | his mar | riage day With ban | neret | and pen | non, Trumpet | and ket | tledrum, And the | outrag | eous can | non, To bun | dle time | away That the | night come. ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ̆ ´ ̆ ̆ ´ ̆ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ̆ ´ ´ ´ ´ ´

Bibliography Arp, Thomas R., and Greg Johnson. Perrine's Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry. Eleventh ed. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005. Meyer, Michael. Poetry: An Introduction. Fourth ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004. PPT from Worldofteaching. G. Wotherspoon.