Element of poetry
RHYTHM AND METER
Meter: the systematic
regularity in rhythm; this systematic rhythm (or sound pattern) is
usually identified by examining the type of "foot" and
the number of feet.1. Poetic Foot: The traditional line of metered poetry contains a number of rhythmical units, which are called feet. The feet in a line are distinguished as a recurring pattern of two or three syllables("apple" has 2 syllables, "banana" has 3 syllables, etc.). The pattern, or foot, is designated according to the number of syllables contained, and the relationship in each foot between the strong and weak syllables.Thus:
__ = a stressed (or strong, or LOUD) syllable
U = an unstressed (or weak, or quiet) syllable
In other words, any line of poetry with a systematic rhythm has a certain number of feet, and each foot has two or three syllables with a constant beat pattern .
b. Trochee (Trochaic): strong syllable followed by a weak syllable.
c. Anapest (Anapestic): two weak syllables followed by a strong syllable.
e.g.
In her room at the prow of the house
Where light breaks, and the windows are tossed...
From "The Writer", by Richard Wilbur
d. Dactyl (Dactylic): a strong syllable followed by two weak syllables.
e. Spondee (Spondaic): two strong syllables (not common as lines, but appears as a foot). A spondee usually appears at the end of a line.
2. The Number of Feet: The second part of meter is the number of feet contained in a line.
Thus:
one foot=monometer
two feet=dimeter
three feet=trimeter
four feet=tetrameter
five feet=pentameter
six feet=hexameter (when hexameter is in iambic rhythm, it is called an alexandrine)
Poems with an identifiable meter are therefore identified by the type of feet (e.g. iambic) and the number of feet in a line (e.g. pentameter). The following line is iambic pentameter because it (1) has five feet [pentameter], and (2) each foot has two syllables with the stress on the second syllable [iambic].
That time | of year | thou mayst | in me | behold
Thus, you will hear meter identified as iambic pentameter, trochaic tetrameter, and so on.
3. Irregularity: Many metered poems in English avoid perfectly regular rhythm because it is monotonous. Irregularities in rhythm add interest and emphasis to the lines. In this line:
The first foot substitutes a trochee for an iamb. Thus, the basic iambic pentameter is varied with the opening trochee.
4. Blank Verse: Any poetry that does have a set metrical pattern (usually iambic pentameter), but does not have rhyme, is blank verse. Shakespeare frequently used unrhymed iambic pentameter in his plays; his works are an early example of blank verse.
5. Free Verse: Most modern poetry no longer follows strict rules of meter or rhyme, especially throughout an entire poem. Free verse, frankly, has no rules about meter or rhyme whatsoever! [In other words, blank verse has rhythm, but no rhyme, while free verse has neither rhythm norrhyme.] So, you may find it difficult to find regular iambic pentameter in a modern poem, though you might find it in particular lines. Modern poets do like to throw in the occasional line or phrase of metered poetry, particularly if they’re trying to create a certain effect. Free verse can also apply to a lack of a formal verse structure.
FIGURATIVE/CONNOTATIVE DEVICES
1.
Simile is the rhetorical term used to designate the most
elementary form of resemblances: most similes are introduced by
"like" or "as." These comparisons are usually between
dissimilar situations or objects that have something in common, such as
"My love is like a red, red rose."
2.
A metaphor leaves out "like" or "as" and
implies a direct comparison between objects or situations. "All flesh is
grass." For more on metaphor, click here.
3.
Synecdoche is a form of metaphor, which in mentioning an
important (and attached) part signifies the whole (e.g. "hands" for
labour).
4.
Metonymy is similar to synecdoche; it's a form of metaphor
allowing an object closely associated (but unattached) with a object or
situation to stand for the thing itself (e.g. the crown or throne for a king or
the bench for the judicial system).
5.
A symbol is like a simile or metaphor with the first term left
out. "My love is like a red, red rose" is a simile. If, through
persistent identification of the rose with the beloved woman, we may come to
associate the rose with her and her particular virtues. At this point, the rose
would become a symbol.
6.
Allegory can be defined as a one to one correspondence between
a series of abstract ideas and a series of images or pictures presented in the
form of a story or a narrative. For example, George Orwell's Animal
Farm is an extended allegory that represents the Russian Revolution
through a fable of a farm and its rebellious animals.
7.
Personification occurs when you treat abstractions or inanimate
objects as human, that is, giving them human attributes, powers, or feelings
(e.g., "nature wept" or "the wind whispered many truths to
me").
8.
Irony takes many forms. Most basically, irony is a figure of
speech in which actual intent is expressed through words that carry the
opposite meaning.
- Paradox: usually a literal contradiction of terms or
situations
- Situational Irony: an unmailed letter
- Dramatic Irony: audience has more information or
greater perspective than the characters
- Verbal Irony: saying one thing but meaning another
- Overstatement (hyperbole)
- Understatement (meiosis)
- Sarcasm
Irony may be a positive or negative
force. It is most valuable as a mode of perception that assists the poet to see
around and behind opposed attitudes, and to see the often conflicting
interpretations that come from our examination of life.
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