Terms for Discussing Prosody

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Terms for Discussing Prosody
Analyzing Meter in Poetry
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Basic Terms

• Prosody The metrical pronunciation of a song or
  poem.
• Rhythm A combination of vocal speeds, rises, and
  falls in poetry, heavy and light stress.
  Patterns are called "feet."
• Scansion (scan). The process of marking beats in
  a poem to establish the prevailing metrical
  pattern.

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Naming Numbers of Feet

• One foot monometer
• Two feet dimeter
• Three feet trimeter
• Four feet tetrameter
• Five feet pentameter
• Six feet hexameter
• Seven feet heptameter or the septenary
• Eight feet octameter

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Kinds of Feet Spondaic and Pyrrhic
Spondee stressed stressed Pyrrhic unstressed
unstressed
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Kinds of Feet Iambic

• Iamb/ iambic unstressed stressed
• The most natural and common kind in English, this
  meter elevates speech to poetry (iambic
  pentameter)
• Example
• The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
• The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea,
• The plowman homeward plods his weary way,
• And leaves the world to darkness, and to me.
• When you say this aloud, what syllables are
  stressed? Mark them with a strong mark ()
  above the syllable.

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Sounding out the Rhythm

• The CURfew TOLLS the KNELL of PARTing DAY,
• The LOWing HERD wind SLOWly OER the LEA,
• The PLOWman HOMEward PLODS his WEARy WAY,
• And LEAVES the WORLD to DARKness, AND to ME.

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Kinds of Feet Trochaic

• Trochaic/trochee stressed unstressed
• Example
• Tyger, tyger, burning bright
• In the forest of the night
• What immortal hand or eye
• Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
• Say this quatrain aloud and mark the accented
  syllables. Where are the strong syllables?

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Sounding out the Rhythm

• TYger, TYger, BURNing BRIGHT
• IN the FORest OF the NIGHT
• WHAT imMORtal HAND or EYE
• COULD FRAME thy FEARful SYMmetRY?

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Kinds of Feet Dactylic

• Dactyl/dactylic stressed unstressed unstressed
• Example
• This is the forest primeval. The murmuring
  pines and the hemlocks,
• Bearded with moss, and in garments green,
  indistinct in the twilight,
• Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and
  prophetic.
• Say the first line aloud and mark the stressed
  syllables.

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Sounding out the Rhythm
THIS is the FORest primEVal. The MURmuring PINES
and the HEMlocks,
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Kinds of Feet Anapestic

• Anapest/ anapestic unstressed unstressed
  stressed
• 'Twas the night before Christmas and all through
  the house,
• Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
  The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
  
• In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be
  there.
• Say this aloud and mark the stressed syllables.

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Sounding out the Rhythm

• 'Twas the NIGHT before CHRISTmas and ALL through
  the HOUSE,
• Not a CREAture was STIRring, not EVen a MOUSE.
  
• The stockings were hung by the chimney with
  care,
• In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be
  there.

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Practice

• Try to figure out the meter for each selection,
  and then go on to the next slide, where the
  answer will be given.

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First Practice
Go, and catch a falling star, Get with child a
mandrake root Tell me where all past years are,
Or who cleft the Devil's foot . . . --John
Donne, Song
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Answer

• Trochaic tetrameter.
• Notice the words that are emphasized Line 1 Go,
  catch, fall, star
• Line 2 Get, child, man, root

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Second Practice

• Macavity's a Mystery Cat he's called the Hidden
  Paw--
• For he's the master criminal who can defy the
  law.
• He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the
  Flying Squad's despair
• For when they reach the scene of the
  crime-Macavity's not there!

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Answer

• Iambic heptameter (or the septenary).
• Note the stresses
• MaCAViTYs the MYStery CAT hes CALLED the
  HIDden PAW.
• Mystery is pronounced like mystry here.

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Third Practice

• 'Tis the voice of the Lobster I heard him
  declare
• "You have baked me too brown, I must sugar my
  hair."
• As a duck with its eyelids, so he with his
  nose
• Trims his belt and buttons, and turns out his
  toes.

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Answer

• Anapestic tetrameter.
• Tis the VOICE of the LOBster I HEARD him
  deCLARE.
• If you listen to the rhythm, it sounds just like
  Twas the Night Before Christmas, which is
  written in the same meter.

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Fourth Practice

• By the shores of Gitche-Gumee,
• By the shining Big-Sea-Water
• Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
• Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.
• Dark behind it rose the forest,
• Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees
• Rose the firs with cones upon them.

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Answer

• Trochaic tetrameter.
• BY the SHORES of GITCHe-GUmee
• BY the SHINing BIG-sea-Water
• This is trochaic tetrameter with the last
  syllable added.

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Fifth Practice

• How say that by law we may torture and chase
• A woman whose crime is the hue of her face?
• With her step on the ice and her arm on her
  child,
• The danger was fearful, the pathway was wild. .
  . .

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Answer

• Anapestic tetrameter, although this meter varies
  somewhat.
• How SAY that by LAW we may TORture and CHASE / A
  WOman whose CRIME is the HUE of her FACE?
• This serious poem makes use of galloping meter
  because it deals with a mother escaping from
  slavery. She is pursued as she crosses the river
  into freedom. The meter gives the rhythm of the
  poem a sense of urgency.