Overview
This lecture covers the concepts of rhyme and meter in poetry, explaining definitions, examples, and types of poetic feet and meters.
Rhyme in Poetry
- Rhyme is the repetition of syllable sounds, usually at the end of verse lines.
- Example: "see" and "tree" rhyme at the end of two lines.
Meter in Poetry
- Meter is the rhythm or beat of a poem, determined by the arrangement and stress of syllables in each line.
- Stressed syllables are spoken louder or stronger than unstressed syllables.
- Example: "I do not like green eggs and ham" contains eight syllables with a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
Poetic Feet and Patterns
- A foot is a small group of syllables, forming the basic unit of a poem’s rhythm.
- Common types of feet:
- Iamb (iambic): unstressed followed by stressed syllable (soft-STRONG), e.g., aside, delay, forget; "the dog."
- Trochee (trochaic): stressed followed by unstressed syllable (STRONG-soft), e.g., table, apple, tiger.
- Dactyl (dactylic): stressed followed by two unstressed syllables (STRONG-soft-soft), e.g., elephant, memory, wonderful.
- Anapest (anapestic): two unstressed followed by a stressed syllable (soft-soft-STRONG), e.g., "in the dark," "on the hill."
Types of Meter (Lines by Feet)
- Monometer: 1 foot per line (e.g., "I hope").
- Dimeter: 2 feet per line (e.g., "I hope you do").
- Trimeter: 3 feet per line (e.g., "I hope you do as well").
- Tetrameter: 4 feet per line (e.g., "I hope you do as well today").
- Pentameter: 5 feet per line (e.g., "I hope you do as well today at school").
- Hexameter: 6 feet per line (e.g., "I hope you do as well today at school, my friend").
- Heptameter: 7 feet per line.
- Octameter: 8 feet per line.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Rhyme — repetition of similar sounds at the ends of lines in poems.
- Meter — the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.
- Foot — the basic unit of meter, a specific combination of stressed and unstressed syllables.
- Iamb — a foot with an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable.
- Trochee — a foot with a stressed followed by an unstressed syllable.
- Dactyl — a foot with one stressed followed by two unstressed syllables.
- Anapest — a foot with two unstressed followed by one stressed syllable.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review examples of rhyme and different meters in your textbook.
- Practice identifying feet and meter in sample poems.