How do poets use rhythm to impact the feeling of their writing?

In this lesson you will learn how rhythm adds to a poem by tracking the beat and then matching the rhythm with the feeling.

Let’s Review SYLLABLES = Building blocks of words Ice - 1 Water - 2 Goodbye - 2 Worrying - 3

Unstressed Stressed SYLLABLES CHICKen, not chickEN

Stressed / unstressed pattern creates RHYTHM in a poem

A Common Mistake Not reading aloud = not hearing the rhythm

Core Lesson ‘ 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 To where it bent in the undergrowth; 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 To where it bent in the undergrowth; ‘ ‘ ‘‘‘‘ ‘‘‘ ‘‘‘ ‘‘ ‘ ‘ ‘‘‘

Core Lesson How does the rhythm sound to our ears? Is it fast or slow? Smooth or choppy?

Core Lesson How does the rhythm impact the feeling of the poem? Does the rhythm support or contrast with the meaning so far? The smooth but measurable rhythm supports the thoughtful mood of the poem. As the speaker is weighing two options, the rhythm matches the speaker’s feeling. The smooth but measurable rhythm supports the thoughtful mood of the poem. As the speaker is weighing two options, the rhythm matches the speaker’s feeling.

Core Lesson Read the poem aloud, noticing the rhythmic pattern. 1 2 How does the poem sound? (fast or slow? smooth or choppy?) 3 Visualize: “Does the rhythm sound like it matches what is happening in the poem?”

In this lesson you have learned how rhythm impacts a poem by tracking the beat of a poem and then matching the rhythm with the feeling.

Guided Practice Mark the rhyming pattern in stanza 2 of “The Road Not Taken”. 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 To where it bent in the undergrowth; 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 To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Guided Practice Then, determine what the rhythm sounds like and decide whether it supports or contrasts with what’s happening in the stanza. The rhythm (choose one) supports / contrasts with the mood of the poem because: The rhythm (choose one) supports / contrasts with the mood of the poem because:

Extension Activities Mark the stressed syllables in the following lines. I walked through the door And what did I see But a cat on the floor Staring at me! Is there a rhythmic pattern? Explain.

Write one poem with a strong rhythmic pattern, and then re-write the poem without rhythm, by changing as few words as possible. How does the rhythm affect the poem?

Quick Quiz Mark the rhythm and the stressed syllables in “Cripple” by Carl Sandburg.

Then, look at the rhythm of the poem as a whole. How does the rhythm impact the poem’s overall feeling?