Creative Writing Unit 5- 3

Creative Writing

Unit 5-3 Rhythm in Poetry

​5-1 Due Date 4/24

5-2 Due Date 4/26

5-3 Due Date 5/01

5-4 Due Date 5/06

5.5.2 CST & 5.5.3 TST Due Date 5/09

​Objectives

​Poems with a strong sense of rhythm seem to flow better somehow. When the words are read on the page, they feel compelling to a reader, and when read aloud, they sound compelling to an audience.

• Investigate the characteristics and types of meter in poetry.

• Explore how rhythm can help poetry flow both on the page and in performance.

• Observe and explore the use of rhythm in formal and free-verse poetry through guided close reading.

​5.3.1 page 2

​To understand a poem's rhythm, the first thing you need to understand is that every word can be broken down into syllables.

Sometimes it can be hard to know how many syllables a word has.

When you're counting syllables, it helps to first identify a main vowel sound. For instance, you can easily discover that the word water has two syllables, because it has two separate vowel sounds separated by consonants.

​You can also try clapping out the word or tapping your hand against a desk lightly, as if you're keeping a beat when saying the word.

​5.3.1 pages 4 - 5

​Example 1: Imagine

For the word imagine, the stress is on the middle syllable.

• i · MA · gine

Example 2: Principal

The word principal carries a stress on the first syllable.

• PRIN · ci · pal

sub · ma · rine

Example 3: Submarine

The word submarine can be pronounced two ways, and can carry a stress on either the first or last syllable.

• SUB · ma · rine

• sub · ma · RINE

​Most people don't spend much time pondering where the stresses are in the words they use. But in a subtle way, these stresses create rhythms even in our everyday speech — and when they are used purposefully in poetry, these patterns of stress can create very dynamic effects.

​5.3.1 page 10

​Metrical poetry is composed of groupings of stressed and unstressed syllables, each of which is called a foot, and the feet together form a line.

In modern English metrical poetry, lines are identified by the number and types of feet in a line.

A poem can be made up of feet forming the pattern of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, or it can be made up of feet forming the pattern of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable, as in this line from William Blake's "The Tyger":

  /    ˘     /    ˘       /     ˘        /
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
  /    ˘     /    ˘     /    ˘     /
In the forests of the night

​5.3.1 pages 11-14

​Iambic pentameter gets its name from the type and number of feet in each line. The feet themselves are fairly simple in structure — an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. This type of foot when combined in this way is called an iamb. The word pentameter comes from the Greek words for "five" and "measure," because each line measures out five feet (or five iambs — five unstressed and stressed repetitions) per line.

​Shakespeare used iambic pentameter in all of his sonnets....

all 154 of them.

​5.3.1 page 15

​Another popular kind of foot is the trochee, in which the foot is made up of one stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable. (This is the reverse of an iamb.) Poems written in trochaic meter have a distinct sound, as can be heard in this excerpt from Henry Longfellow's "Song of Hiawatha."

​

   /       ˘    /    ˘     /      ˘     /   ˘
Dark behind it rose the forest,
Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,
Rose the firs with cones upon them;
Bright before it beat the water,
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.

​5.3.3 page 1 Chunky or smooth?

​The Peanut Butter metaphor is a good one here.

What is the difference between a line that sounds smooth and one that sounds awkward or "clunky"?

What makes this phrase so difficult to say?

It can be hard to know what's wrong with a line that sounds as though it needs work, but one big factor is often the rhythm of the line and how well it flows.

​5.3.3 page 4

​The way that writers compose a line can drastically change the way readers interpret it. When readers come across a line that's clunky, heavy, or slow, it takes them more time to get through the language. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? It depends on how it is done and the effect the writer wants to achieve with the line.

​Take a look at this example of a clunky line:

Torque wrench thrown dark, the alley fight grew fierce.

You might notice here that the sounds slow you down, but they also make you pay attention to what's happening in the line because the sounds mimic the aggressive actions described by the words.

​On the other hand, when readers come across a line that's light, fluid, or breezy, they might read through the line more quickly.

Take a look at this example of a fluid line and notice your impressions:

Over mountains and rivers flew a soaring bird below the rising feathery sun.

Mellifluous - sweet or musical, pleasant to hear

​5.3.3 page 7

​A lot of poetry is meant to be read out loud. Some of the most important early poems were originally sung from memory. Although in the past few centuries most poetry has been written down and read out of books by solitary readers, there has recently been a growing movement among members of the poetry community to assemble and hear an author read his or her poems aloud.

Some poetry is written with the express intent that it be performed live by the poet. This type of poetry is known as spoken word. If you've ever heard this kind of poetry performed, you probably noticed right away that it differs somewhat from poetry that is meant to exist only on a page.

​5.3.3 page 8

​During a poetry slam, poets perform their spoken-word poems in a competition, while judges randomly selected from the audience decide which poems are the best.

Since starting in Chicago less than 30 years ago, poetry slams have grown in popularity and are now held in cities all over the world.

Because slams are lively public contests, the audience feels invested in the work as part of the judging process.

As a result, audience members are likely to respond vocally to the work, often shouting out their appreciation of passages they especially enjoy.

Other factors may also influence the style of a spoken-word poem intended for competition, such as the length of the piece and how the poet grabs and keeps an audience's attention.

​5.3.3 page 9

​Be sure to watch the video of Karen Finneyfrock performing her spoken-word poem, "The Newer Colossus."

Powerful! Listen to how the audience reacts at the end.

on page 11 Compare the spoken version with the written version of the poem.

on page 12 Compare Finneyfrock's poem to the poem that inspired it by Emma Lazarus.

​5.3.3 page 15 Tips for Performing your Poetry

​

• Speak slowly, in a relaxed voice, enjoying the sounds of the poem. It's easy for readers to get overexcited and read so quickly that the audience can't understand their poems.

• Pronounce each word in a loud, clear voice. Imagine that if someone had to read your lips from the back of the room, they would be able to make out the words.

• Try to picture or feel what you are saying so that the emotions come across naturally in the tone of your voice.

• Make eye contact with the audience from time to time. If you're reading from a page, look up every once in a while.

• Pause between sentences or at natural points between phrases or ideas to give your audience time to process what they've heard.

• Consider moving or making small gestures that might help you get into the rhythm of the poem or provide subtle moments of emphasis to your words.

• Say "Thank you!" when you're done reading or performing, so the audience will know that it's time to go wild with applause!

​5.3.3 Review

​

• The rhythm and flow of poetry can be manipulated in a variety of ways, including through the stresses on syllables and the types of consonants used.

• Spoken-word performances and poetry slams are exciting formats through which an author can reach an audience. This kind of performance can enhance the rhythms and sounds in a poem.

• Knowing how to effectively express your poetry through a reading or performance can dramatically affect how an audience experiences your poetry.

​5.3.5 Read

​Read "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot.

As you read Eliot's poem, think about how he uses rhythm to pace his thoughts and images. How does he use the "ghost of meter" to help express the main themes and ideas in his poem? Focus on the sounds of the poem.

Remember to use the Reading Guide to help you understand.

​Discuss 5.3.7

​There are three questions about Eliot's poem.

Choose one on which to write a response.

Remember that each question asks for examples from the poem that support your response.

You may seek help through research, but use your own words and thoughts in your response.

​Respond to ME in the CHAT:



A grouping of stressed and unstressed syllables (like an iamb, a trochee or an anapest) in a line of poetry.


a. rhythm
b. meter
c. foot