Poetry Terminology

Stanza Section of line, or verse, of a poem that form a unit Similar in _____and _____scheme Much like the “paragraphs” of a poem, however, not necessarily divided by the completion of ___________

Types of Stanzas Couplet – two rhyming lines ______ – three lines, may or may not _____ Quatrain – four lines, may or may not rhyme Cinquain – _____ lines, may or may not rhyme Sestet – six lines, may or may not rhyme _______ – seven lines, may or may not rhyme Octave - ______ lines, may or may not rhyme

Stanza example The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. To where it bent in the undergrowth; I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Then took the other, as just as fair And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that, the passing there Had worn them really about the same,

Rhyme Scheme Regular pattern of rhyme ____________ throughout the poem Poems can rhyme without any regular pattern can be called _________ poems, but only those with ____________ pattern can be said to have rhyme scheme Labeled according to their rhyme sounds Each rhyme sound is given its own ______ to distinguish it from other rhyme sounds that may appear in the poem

Rhyme Scheme Examples Alone Edgar Allen Poe From childhood’s hour I have not been a As others were; I have not seen a As others saw; I could not bring b My passions from a common spring. b From the same source I have not taken c My sorrow; I could not awaken c My heart to joy at the same tone; d And all I loved, I loved alone. d Then—in my childhood, in the dawn e Of a most stormy life—was drawn e From every depth of good and ill f The mystery which binds me still: f From the torrent, or the fountain, g From the red cliff of the mountain, g From the sun that round me rolled h In its autumn tint of gold, h From the lightning in the sky i As it passed me flying by, i From the thunder and the storm, j And the cloud that took the form j (When the rest of Heaven was blue) k Of a demon in my view. k

Meter Rhyme of a ______ Determined by how many ___ per line

Foot The basic unit of _____________ in poetry Made of ___ or ______ syllables Combination of _________ and __________ Must have at least one ______ It’s like music, only in poetry the accent is used instead of a ____ to make the rhythm ˘ (_____ mark) represents unstressed syllables / (slash or _____ mark) represents stressed syllables

Types of Meter Dimeter: the line has two feet ________ : the line has three feet Tetrameter: the line has four feet Pentameter: the line has _____ feet Hexameter: the line has six feet Hendecasyllabics have _______ syllables per line. This is very unusual

Types of Meters Iambic: 2 syllables - first unaccented, second accented (in LEAVES no STEP) ________: 2 syllables - first accented, second unaccented (SOME-where AG-es) Spondee: 2 syllables - _____accented (TWO ROADS) even though there are two accents, a spondee is one foot Anapest: _ syllables - first and second unaccented, third accented (with a SIGH) Dactyl: 3 syllables - first accented, second and third ___________ (one trav - el / (er))

Examples of Meter See Meter_new.ppt Second .ppt on the blog

Chorus Part of the poem that ________ itself, usually without any change in wording, but not always Usually reveals the ____ _____or subject Usually a _______ stanza than the rest of the poem (not all poems have a chorus) Also referred to as a ______