POETIC SOUNDKey Terms and Vocabulary

OBJECTIVES

By the time you finish taking notes on this presentation, you should understand the definitions of the following terms in the context of poetry and be able to identify examples of each: Meter Rhyme Sound Devices (Alliteration, Assonance,

Consonance) Enjambment Repetition (Anaphora)

METER

The rhythmic pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of verse. The key word here is syllables. When reading a poem for meter, pay attention to

the number of syllables in each line.

Meter can be difficult to understand at times, but think of it as being the same as the “rhythm” of the poem.

Poets frequently make intentional choices about the meter of their poems to create a specific effect.

METER

To determine the meter of a poem, you need to pay attention to two things: the type of metrical foot used in the poem and the number of feet in each line (line length).

A metrical foot refers to a group of syllables that creates a sound pattern. This pattern is created by the stress (or lack of stress) put on each syllable and the number of syllables in the foot.

EXAMPLE

Iambic Pentameter is a very common form of meter that you may have heard of!

IAMBIC refers to the type of FOOT used in the poem. Iambic means that the foot contains two syllables,

in an unstressed (short)-stressed (long) pattern. For example, the word “betray” is an Iamb.

PENTAMETER refers to the number of feet in each line. Penta means five. This means that a line of poetry written in Iambic

Pentameter has five feet, or ten syllables.

EXAMPLE CONTINUED

From William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet:

Two households both alike in dignity

In fair Verona where we lay our scene

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

x / x / x / x / x /

x / x / x / x / x /

The “x” denotes an unstressed syllable.

The “/” denotes a stressed syllable.

You can probably see very clearly that each line here has 10 syllables – and therefore five feet.

It might be harder to pick up on the unstressed – stressed pattern (that makes this iambic), but try saying it out loud.

SOME COMMON METRICAL TERMS This is more of a “nice to know” than a “need

to know,” but here are some important terms related to meter:

Term Definition

Iamb Two-syllable metrical foot, unstressed-stressed pattern.

Trochee Two-syllable metrical foot, stressed-unstressed pattern.

Dactyl Three-syllable metrical foot, stressed-unstressed-unstressed pattern

Dimeter A line of poetry with two feet

Trimeter A line of poetry with three feet

Tetrameter A line of poetry with four feet

Pentameter A line of poetry with five feet

RHYME

The repetition of sounds, typically at the end of a line of verse

For example:I have come to the borders of sleep,The unfathomable deepForest where all must loseTheir way, however straightOr winding, soon or late;They cannot choose.“Lights Out” by Edward Thomas

RHYME

Based on SOUND, not spelling. See example on last slide! Even though “straight” and “late” have different

spellings, they have the same sound. This does get tricky at times though!

You will sometimes see rhymes that seem to be based on spelling instead of sound. This is often in older texts (pronunciation used to

be different!) Sometimes it is just the poet playing loose with

rules, however.There is also a concept called “slant rhyme”

– which means the words ALMOST rhyme, but not quite.

DETERMINING THE RHYME SCHEME

The process for determining a rhyme scheme is fairly simple, but it requires you to pay close attention to the rhymes in the poem.

As you read the poem, label each different “sound” that occurs at the end of a line with a letter, starting with “A” and working your way down the alphabet.

For example (returning to the previous example)I have come to the borders of sleep, AThe unfathomable deep AForest where all must lose BTheir way, however straight COr winding, soon or late; CThey cannot choose. B

RHYME SCHEME PRACTICE What is the rhyme scheme of this poem excerpt?

O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being,Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves deadAre driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,

Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red,Pestilence-stricken multitudes: O thou,Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed

The winged seeds, where they lie cold and low,Each like a corpse within its grave, untilThine azure sister of the Spring shall blow

Her clarion o'er the dreaming earth, and fillDriving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air)With living hues and odours plain and hill:

Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere;Destroyer and preserver; hear, oh hear!

“Ode to the West Wind” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

ANSWERO wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being, AThou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead BAre driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing, A

Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red, BPestilence-stricken multitudes: O thou, CWho chariotest to their dark wintry bed B

The winged seeds, where they lie cold and low, CEach like a corpse within its grave, until DThine azure sister of the Spring shall blow C

Her clarion o'er the dreaming earth, and fill DDriving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air) EWith living hues and odours plain and hill: D

Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere; EDestroyer and preserver; hear, oh hear! E

A somewhat tricky example, as it includes some slant rhymes!

SOUND DEVICES

There are three main sound devices you should know. They all involve the repetition of different kinds of sounds in words close to one another. Alliteration Assonance Consonance

ALLITERATION

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words

For exampleThe fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,The furrow followed free;We were the first that ever burstInto that silent sea.“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by

Samuel Taylor Coleridge As you can see, Coleridge chooses to use many

words that start with the letters “f”, “b” and “s” in this section of the poem.

ASSONANCE The repetition of vowel sounds within words that are

close to one another in a poem

For example

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan

A stately pleasure-dome decree:

Where Alph, the sacred river, ran

Through caverns measureless to man

Down to a sunless sea.“Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Here, Coleridge repeats the specific “a” sound in many of these words.

It’s important to note that it’s not just the use of a vowel – it’s the specific vowel sound (which explains why the A in stately is not emphasized).

CONSONANCE

The repetition of consonant sounds within words that are close to one another in a poem.

This is similar to alliteration (and often works together with it), but it includes the use of consonant sounds INSIDE words, where alliteration is only at the beginning.

Example:O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,

The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,

While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;

“O Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman

Note the repetition of the “r” sound throughout the stanza!

SOUND DEVICES

These three sound devices often work together (especially alliteration and consonance).

In many cases, if a poet is using one, then he or she is likely using the others as well.

These sound devices help to create rhythm and link words, by placing greater emphasis upon them.

ENJAMBMENT The running-over of a sentence or phrase from one

poetic line to the next, without terminal punctuation An extreme example might be this poem by William

Carlos William:so much depends upon 

a red wheel barrow 

glazed with rain water 

beside the white chickens

Despite the lack of punctuation, this is all one sentence!

ENJAMBMENT However, enjambment can also look like:What happens to a dream deferred?

      Does it dry up      like a raisin in the sun?      Or fester like a sore—      And then run?      Does it stink like rotten meat?      Or crust and sugar over—      like a syrupy sweet?

      Maybe it just sags      like a heavy load.

      Or does it explode?“Harlem” by Langston Hughes

The lines in red demonstrate enjambment.

The important thing is the lack of punctuation at the end of the line.

REPETITION

A lot of poetry depends on repetition to help make its point

The definition is more or less what you would expect – when sounds, words, phrases, lines, or stanzas are repeated within a single poem.

There is at least one specific form of repetition that you might want to keep in mind.

ANAPHORA

A type of parallelism when a number of lines begin with the same word(s).

Consider this excerpt from The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot:

After the torchlight red on sweaty facesAfter the frosty silence in the gardensAfter the agony in stony placesThe shouting and the cryingPrison and palace and reverberationOf thunder of spring over distant mountainsHe who was living is now deadWe who were living are now dyingWith a little patience

Eliot uses anaphora in the first three lines.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING!

You should now have notes on the following poetic sound terms: Meter Rhyme Sound Devices (Alliteration, Assonance,

Consonance) Enjambment Repetition (Anaphora)