The Rhythm of Poetry

1
The Rhythm of Poetry

• No verse is free for the man who
• wants to do a good job T.S. Eliot

2
Sonnet 73That time of year thou mayst in me
beholdWhen yellow leaves, or none, or few, do
hangUpon those boughs which shake against the
cold,Bare ruind choirs where late the sweet the
birds sang.
3
Meter

• Meter refers to the beat or rhythm created by
  words in a poem.
• Words are divided into syllables.
• Syllables can be unstressed ( )
• or stressed ( ).

4
Meter Continued

• A pair or group of syllables is called a foot
• There are different types of feet
• iamb (da-DUM)
• trochee (DUM-da)
• anapest (da-da-DUM)

5
Meter Continued

• The number of feet per line also receives a name.
  
• Dimeter
• Trimeter
• Tetrameter
• Pentameter
• Hexameter