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Prosody (PRAH-Suh-Dee): the Study of Meter and Form in Poetry Scansion

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Prosody (PRAH-Suh-Dee): the Study of Meter and Form in Poetry Scansion Prosody (PRAH-suh-dee): the study of meter and form in poetry Exercise #1 Example: 1a. One of these sentences sounds CORrect. 1b. One of these sentences sounds corRECT. 1a. Keep your answers short and CONcise. 6a. Poetry and music are my FAvorite subjects. 1b. Keep your answers short and conCISE. 6b. Poetry and music are my favoRITE subjects. 2a. We climbed to the top of the TOWer. 7a. You can CONtradict me if you want to. 2b. We climbed to the top of the towER. 7b. You can contraDICT me if you want to. 3a. Our freedom must be PREserved. 8a. The dialogue sounded phony and INsincere. 3b. Our freedom must be preSERVED. 8b. The dialogue sounded phony and insinCERE. 4a. What a SURprise! 9a. Just don’t start an ARgument. 4b. What a surPRISE! 9b. Just don’t start an arguMENT. 5a. I bought a new pair of SNEAKers. 10a. Don’t expect me to ENtertain you. 5b. I bought a new pair of sneakERS. 10b. Don’t expect me to enterTAIN you. Scansion: a system of analyzing and marking metrical feet with symbols Exercise #2 / u u / Example: Crazy Example: Insane 1. _____________________________ 4. _____________________________ 2. _____________________________ 5. _____________________________ 3. _____________________________ 6. _____________________________ / u u u u / Example: truthfully Example: insincere 7. _____________________________ 10. _____________________________ 8. _____________________________ 11. _____________________________ 9. _____________________________ 12. _____________________________ 1 A Typical Assignment Here are some words and word combinations. As you read them, you will notice that each word (and each word combination) has two syllables with a stress on the first syllable. WORDS Actor, Action, Athlete, Basic, Breakfast, Broken, Closet, Crisis, Detour, Ballgame, Banquet, Fever, Giant, Hero, Killer, Morning, Ocean, Promise, Teacher, Reason, Sneakers, Tower, Waffles, Writer, Window WORD COMBINATIONS In a, in the, on a, on the, of the, of a, for the, for a, to the, to a, from the, from a, with a, with the Let’s perform the word combinations together. We are going to read them aloud and tap the beat (softly) every time we read the FIRST word in each combination. Let me demonstrate. (Dr. Bluestine reads the word combinations and taps the beats brilliantly.) Now it’s your turn. To make things easier, I have put a macron (/) over the syllables that you say when you tap the beat. In other words, tap when you get to a /. And don’t forget to snap at the right time. / / / / In a in the on a on the / / / / of the of a for the (snap) / / / / for a to the, to a, from the, / / / / from a, with a, with the (snap) Here is what you have to do on the other side of this paper. Wait! Don’t turn the paper over yet. Finish reading the directions. 1. Choose some of the words and word combinations, and write them neatly in each box to form sentences that make sense. 2. Underline the stressed syllable in each box. (You should have 4 underlines per sentence.) Here are three more important things you need to know. First, you can use the words I have provided more than once. Second, you don’t have to stick to the words I have given to you. If you can think of words (or word combinations) that contain two syllables with a stress on the first syllable, then, by all means, use them. My words are merely suggestions. Use only those words that spark your creativity. And third, your lines must make sense! Example: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” said the squire to the bishop. 2 Types of Metrical Feet Trochee: stressed/unstressed (as in table and birthday.) Iamb: unstressed/stressed (as in because and surprise.) Dactyl: stressed/unstressed/unstressed (as in sharpener and totally.) Anapest: unstressed/unstressed/stressed (as in interrupt, clarinet, unprepared). * * * * * Spondee: stressed/stressed. Example: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May. Catalexis (ca-ta- LEX-is): This occurs when one or two syllables do not appear at the end of a line, even though you expect them to be there. Example: Most of these / words that I / give you are / new ___ ___ Anacrusis (a-na-KROO-sis): This occurs when an extra syllable is placed at the beginning of a line, even though you don’t expect the extra syllable to be there. Example: Most of these / words that I / give you are / new. You’ll / use them in / poems be / fore we are / through. Poetic Meters Trochaic (troh-KAY-ik) Meter Iambic (eye-AM-bik) Meter LOUD-soft LOUD-soft, etc…. soft-LOUD soft-LOUD, etc Twinkle twinkle little star Whose woods these are I think I know. How I wonder what you are His house is in the village though Dactylic (dak-TIL-ik) Meter Anapestic (an-uh-PEST-ik) Meter LOUD-soft-soft LOUD-soft-soft, etc. soft-soft-LOUD soft-soft-LOUD, etc. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men All the Who’s down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot Couldn’t put Humpty together again. But the Grinch who lived just north of Whoville did not Line Lengths Dimeter (DIM-eh-ter) – 2 feet per line. Trimeter (TRIM-eh-ter) – 3 feet per line. Hey I just met you, The day is turning gray. And this is crazy The night’s not far away. But here’s my number, The myths we knew come true. So call me, maybe. I’d hide if I were you. Tetrameter – 4 feet per line Pentameter – 5 feet per line. I love to stretch out on the beach, I love to stretch out on a sandy beach, And try to get the perfect tan. And work on nothing but the perfect tan. My iPod is just out of reach, The trouble is my iPod’s out of reach, And I don’t want to touch the sand. And I don’t want my feet to touch the sand. 3 Heptameter – 7 feet per line. Hexameter (6 feet per line) is almost never used in English poetry. It usually scans as And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air, 3 plus 3. Here’s a line in trochaic hexameter (in And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there. other words, 6 pairs of stressed/unstressed in a Close by the sturdy batsman -- the ball unheeded sped -- row) by Carl Sandburg who almost never wrote "That ain't my style," said Casey. -- "Strike one," the umpire said. metrical verse: Octameter – 8 feet per line. This old anvil laughs at many broken hammers. Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. Types of Rhymes Single Rhyme—bed/said, clear/near, horse/force Double Rhyme—caring/sharing, cruder/intruder Internal Rhyme—Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary.) Stressed/Unstressed Rhyme—And then my heart with pleasure fills And dances with the daffodils. (Wordsworth) Slant Rhyme—fight/nights, one/fund, frown/grown Broken Rhyme—Ella dropped her From the helicopter. “Hungry Mungry” by Shel Silverstein Hungry Mungry sat at supper, Fork/pork Took his knife and spoon and fork, Single rhyme Ate a bowl of mushroom soup, Ate a slice of roasted pork, Ate a dozen stewed tomatoes, Tomatoes/potatoes Twenty-seven deviled eggs, Double Rhyme Fifteen shrimps, nine baked potatoes, Thirty-two fried chicken legs, A shank of lamb, a boiled ham, Lamb/ham Two bowls of grits, some black-eye peas, Shakes/cakes Four chocolate shakes, eight angel cakes, Broth/tablecloth Nine custard pies with Muenster cheese, Internal Rhyme Ten pots of tea, and after he Had eaten all that he was able, He poured some broth on the tablecloth And ate the kitchen table. His parents said, "Oh Hungry Mungry, stop these silly jokes." Mungry opened up his mouth, and "Gulp," he ate his folks. wood/neighborhood And then he went and ate his house, all the bricks and wood, Stressed/ And then he ate up all the people in the neighborhood. Unstressed Rhyme Up came twenty angry policeman shouting, "Stop and cease." Mungry opened up his mouth and "Gulp," he ate the police. harm me/army Soldiers came with tanks and guns. Said Mungry, "They can't harm me." Broken Rhyme He just smiled and licked his lips, and ate the U.S. Army. The President sent all his bombers—Mungry still was calm, calm/bomb Put his head back, gulped the planes, and gobbled up the bomb. ate/states He ate his town and ate the city—ate and ate and ate— Slant Rhyme And then he said, "I think I'll eat the whole United States." 4 Types of Lines and Line Endings End-stopped: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Caesura (si-ZYOO-ra): Farewell, farewell! One kiss and I’ll descend. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Enjambed (in-JAM-d): ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Ode To Poetic Lines How does Does the line By Eric Bluestine the line end? break in the Enjambed or middle with This poem is written in iambic pentameter with five end-stopped? a caesura? quatrains (4-line stanzas), each with the rhyme scheme abab Oh, how I want my students to complete enjambed Their poems, and then turn them in on time.
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