The Sounds of Poetry Hear the Music Make It Rhyme Rhythm and Meter Feature Menu Hear the Music Make It Rhyme Rhythm and Meter Free Verse Sound Effects Practice

Hear the Music Poetry’s musical quality makes it different from other forms of literature. A good poem practically sings. To achieve this musical effect, poets use rhyme rhythm sound effects [End of Section]

Make It Rhyme Rhyme—repetition of the sound of the stressed vowel and any sounds that follow it in words that are close together in a poem. Listen to the poem and then identify the rhymes. And haply a bell with a luring call Summoned their feet to tread Midst the cruel rocks, where the deep pitfall And the lurking snare are spread. —from “Black Sheep” by Richard Burton Modern Poetry

Make It Rhyme In an exact rhyme, all sounds from the stressed vowel to the end of the word are repeated. In an approximate rhyme, some sounds are repeated, but the words are not exact echoes of each other. immersion—conversion pleasure—treasure sphere—revere regularly—February landing—scanning song—gone

Make It Rhyme Rhymes usually occur at the ends of lines. This type of rhyme is called end rhyme. Golden pulse grew on the shore, Ferns along the hill, And the red cliff roses bore Bees to drink their fill; —from “Golden Purse” by John Myers O’Hara

Make It Rhyme When rhyme occurs within a line, it is called internal rhyme. The Sun came up upon the left, Out of the sea came he! And he shone bright, and on the right Went down into the sea. — from “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Make It Rhyme A regular pattern of end rhyme, or rhyme scheme, defines the shape of a poem and holds it together. Apple-green west and an orange bar, And the crystal eye of a lone, one star . . . And, “Child, take the shears and cut what you will, Frost to-night—so clear and dead-still.” —from “Frost To-Night” by Edith M. Thomas a a b b

Make It Rhyme Quick Check Find the end rhymes in this excerpt, including approximate rhymes. Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now, Thus much let me avow— You are not wrong, who deem That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown away In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream. —from “A Dream within a Dream” by Edgar Allan Poe

Make It Rhyme Quick Check Find the end rhymes in this excerpt, including approximate rhymes. Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now, Thus much let me avow— You are not wrong, who deem That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown away In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream. —from “A Dream within a Dream” by Edgar Allan Poe

Make It Rhyme Quick Check Find the internal rhymes in this excerpt, including approximate rhymes. Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now, Thus much let me avow— You are not wrong, who deem That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown away In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream. —from “A Dream within a Dream” by Edgar Allan Poe [End of Section]

Make It Rhyme Quick Check Find the internal rhymes in this excerpt, including approximate rhymes. Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now, Thus much let me avow— You are not wrong, who deem That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown away In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream. —from “A Dream within a Dream” by Edgar Allan Poe

Rhythm and Meter Rhythm—musical quality based on repetition. A common form of rhythm is meter, a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in each line. I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills —from “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth

Rhythm and Meter Scanning a Poem’s Meter When you analyze a poem to show its meter, you are scanning the poem. Scanning is a way of taking a poem apart to see how the poet has created its music. Stressed syllables are marked with the symbol (′). Unstressed syllables are marked the symbol (˘).

Rhythm and Meter Foot—metrical unit, usually consisting of one stressed syllable and one or more unstressed syllables. There are several different kinds of metrical feet. Iamb—unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. His hair is crisp, and black, and long, —from “The Village Blacksmith” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ′ ˘

Rhythm and Meter Trochee—stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable. Week in, week out, from morn till night, —from “The Village Blacksmith” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ′ ˘ Anapest—two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable. And the muscles of his brawny arms —from “The Village Blacksmith” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ′ ˘

Rhythm and Meter Dactyl—one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables. Singing in Paradise! —from “The Village Blacksmith” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ′ ˘ Spondee—two stressed syllables. Thanks, Thanks to thee, my worthy friend, —from “The Village Blacksmith” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ′

Rhythm and Meter Quick Check Which syllables are stressed in the first two lines? Our little house upon the hill In summer time strange voices fill; With ceaseless rustle of the leaves, And birds that twitter in the eaves, And all the vines entangled so The village lights no longer show. —from “Our Little House” by Thomas Walsh Now, scan the rest of the excerpt. What is the predominant type of foot? [End of Section]

Rhythm and Meter ′ ′ ′ ′ ˘ ˘ ˘ ˘ ′ ′ ′ ′ ′ ˘ ˘ ˘ Quick Check Which syllables are stressed in the first two lines? Our little house upon the hill In summer time strange voices fill; With ceaseless rustle of the leaves, And birds that twitter in the eaves, And all the vines entangled so The village lights no longer show. —Thomas Walsh, from “Our Little House” ˘ ˘ ˘ ˘ ′ ′ ′ ′ ′ ˘ ˘ ˘

Rhythm and Meter Quick Check Now, scan the rest of the excerpt. What is the predominant type of foot? Our little house upon the hill In summer time strange voices fill; With ceaseless rustle of the leaves, And birds that twitter in the eaves, And all the vines entangled so The village lights no longer show. —from “Our Little House” by Thomas Walsh ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ′ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ˘ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ iamb ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′ ˘ ′

Free Verse Free verse—poetry that does not follow a regular pattern of rhyme and meter. This poetry gets bored of being alone, It wants to go outdoors to chew on the winds, to fill its commas with the keels of rowboats. . . . —from “Living Poetry” by Hugo Margenat Notice that free verse sounds similar to prose or to everyday spoken language.

Free Verse Poets writing free verse may not follow formal rules, but they do pay close attention to the rhythmic rise and fall of the voice balance between long and short phrases repetition of words and rhymes pauses [End of Section]

Sound Effects In addition to rhythm and rhyme, poets also use onomatopoeia, alliteration, and assonance to give their poems a musical quality. Onomatopoeia—use of words that sound like what they mean. I am a copper wire slung in the air, Slim against the sun I make not even a clear line of shadow. Night and day I keep singing—humming and thrumming: —from “Under a Telephone Pole” by Carl Sandburg

Sound Effects Alliteration—repetition of the same consonant sound in several words, usually at the beginnings of the words. A bird sang sweet and strong In the top of the highest tree. He said, “I pour out my heart in song For the summer that soon shall be.” from “Spring Song” by George William Curtis

Sound Effects Assonance—repetition of the same vowel sound in several words. The baby moon, a canoe, a silver papoose canoe, sails and sails in the Indian west. A ring of silver foxes, a mist of silver foxes, sit and sit around the Indian moon. —from “Early Moon” by Carl Sandburg

Black riders came from the sea by Stephen Crane Sound Effects Quick Check Black riders came from the sea by Stephen Crane Black riders came from the sea. There was clang and clang of spear and shield, And clash and clash of roof and heel, Wild shouts and the wave of hair In the rush upon the wind: Thus the ride of Sin. Find an example of each of type of sound effect: Alliteration Assonance Onomatopoeia [End of Section]

Black riders came from the sea by Stephen Crane Sound Effects Quick Check Black riders came from the sea by Stephen Crane Black riders came from the sea. There was clang and clang of spear and shield, And clash and clash of roof and heel, Wild shouts and the wave of hair In the rush upon the wind: Thus the ride of Sin. Find an example of each of type of sound effect: Alliteration Assonance Onomatopoeia

Practice Find elements of poetry in the real world. List ten names. Identify the stressed and unstressed syllables. What “tunes” do the names make? Find political slogans that use rhyme and alliteration. Think of two exact rhymes and two approximate rhymes for ocean, wash, warm, beard, and power. Describe the following scenes, using onomatopoeia: a rainy, windy night a cat eating dry cat food [End of Section]

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Make It Rhyme Modern Poetry Rhyme was once considered essential to poetry, but its use has become a matter of choice for poets today. Modern poets who do use rhyme feel that it enhances the musical quality of their poetry. Maya Angelou Robert Frost

Make It Rhyme Approximate Rhyme Approximate rhymes are also called half rhymes, off rhymes, slant rhymes, or imperfect rhymes. Some poets use approximate rhymes because they feel all the exact rhymes have already been used.

Make It Rhyme Rhyme Scheme Rhyme scheme is indicated by assigning a new letter of the alphabet for each new rhyme. Seeing the snowman standing all alone In dusk and cold is more than he can bear. The small boy weeps to hear the wind prepare A night of gnashings and enormous moan. —from “Boy at the Window” by Richard Wilbur a b b a