Hear the MusicMake It RhymeRhythm and MeterFree VerseSound EffectsPracticeThe Sounds of PoetryFeature Menu

Poetrys musical quality makes it different from other forms of literature. A good poem practically sings.To achieve this musical effect, poets userhyme[End of Section]rhythmsound effectsHear the Music

Rhymerepetition of the sound of the stressed vowel and any sounds that follow it in words that are close together in a poem. And haply a bell with a luring call Summoned their feet to tread Midst the cruel rocks, where the deep pitfall And the lurking snare are spread.from Black Sheep by Richard BurtonModern PoetryMake It RhymeListen to the poem and then identify the rhymes.

In an exact rhyme, all sounds from the stressed vowel to the end of the word are repeated.immersionconversionpleasuretreasuresphererevereIn an approximate rhyme, some sounds are repeated, but the words are not exact echoes of each other.regularlyFebruarylandingscanningsonggoneMake It Rhyme

Rhymes usually occur at the ends of lines. This type of rhyme is called end rhyme. Golden pulse grew on the shore,Ferns along the hill,And the red cliff roses bore Bees to drink their fill;from Golden Purse by John Myers OHaraMake It Rhyme

When rhyme occurs within a line, it is called internal rhyme. The Sun came up upon the left,Out of the sea came he!And he shone bright, and on the rightWent down into the sea.from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor ColeridgeMake It Rhyme

A regular pattern of end rhyme, or rhyme scheme, defines the shape of a poem and holds it together.Apple-green west and an orange bar,And the crystal eye of a lone, one star . . . And, Child, take the shears and cut what you will,Frost to-nightso clear and dead-still.from Frost To-Night by Edith M. ThomasaabbMake It Rhyme

Find the end rhymes in this excerpt, including approximate rhymes.Make It RhymeQuick CheckTake this kiss upon the brow!And, in parting from you now,Thus much let me avowYou are not wrong, who deemThat my days have been a dream;Yet if hope has flown awayIn a night, or in a day,In a vision, or in none,Is it therefore the less gone?All that we see or seemIs but a dream within a dream.from A Dream within a Dream by Edgar Allan Poe

Take this kiss upon the brow!And, in parting from you now,Thus much let me avowYou are not wrong, who deemThat my days have been a dream;Yet if hope has flown awayIn a night, or in a day,In a vision, or in none,Is it therefore the less gone?All that we see or seemIs but a dream within a dream.from A Dream within a Dream by Edgar Allan PoeQuick CheckFind the end rhymes in this excerpt, including approximate rhymes.Make It Rhyme

Find the internal rhymes in this excerpt, including approximate rhymes. Make It RhymeQuick Check[End of Section]Take this kiss upon the brow!And, in parting from you now,Thus much let me avowYou are not wrong, who deemThat my days have been a dream;Yet if hope has flown awayIn a night, or in a day,In a vision, or in none,Is it therefore the less gone?All that we see or seemIs but a dream within a dream.from A Dream within a Dream by Edgar Allan Poe

Take this kiss upon the brow!And, in parting from you now,Thus much let me avowYou are not wrong, who deemThat my days have been a dream;Yet if hope has flown awayIn a night, or in a day,In a vision, or in none,Is it therefore the less gone?All that we see or seemIs but a dream within a dream.from A Dream within a Dream by Edgar Allan PoeQuick CheckFind the internal rhymes in this excerpt, including approximate rhymes. Make It Rhyme

Rhythmmusical quality based on repetition.A common form of rhythm is meter, a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in each line. Rhythm and MeterI wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high oer vales and hillsfrom I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth

Scanning a Poems MeterWhen you analyze a poem to show its meter, you are scanning the poem. Scanning is a way of taking a poem apart to see how the poet has created its music.Stressed syllables are marked with the symbol ().Unstressed syllables are marked the symbol ().Rhythm and Meter

Iambunstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.There are several different kinds of metrical feet.Footmetrical unit, usually consisting of one stressed syllable and one or more unstressed syllables.Rhythm and Meter

Which syllables are stressed in the first two lines? Now, scan the rest of the excerpt. What is the predominant type of foot?Rhythm and MeterQuick CheckOur little house upon the hillIn summer time strange voices fill;With ceaseless rustle of the leaves,And birds that twitter in the eaves,And all the vines entangled soThe village lights no longer show.from Our Little House by Thomas Walsh[End of Section]

Which syllables are stressed in the first two lines?Our little house upon the hillIn summer time strange voices fill;With ceaseless rustle of the leaves,And birds that twitter in the eaves,And all the vines entangled soThe village lights no longer show.Thomas Walsh, from Our Little HouseRhythm and MeterQuick Check

iambOur little house upon the hillIn summer time strange voices fill;With ceaseless rustle of the leaves,And birds that twitter in the eaves,And all the vines entangled soThe village lights no longer show.from Our Little House by Thomas WalshRhythm and MeterNow, scan the rest of the excerpt. What is the predominant type of foot?Quick Check

Notice that free verse sounds similar to prose or to everyday spoken language.Free versepoetry that does not follow a regular pattern of rhyme and meter.This poetry gets bored of being alone,It wants to go outdoors to chew on the winds,to fill its commas with the keels of rowboats. . . .from Living Poetry by Hugo MargenatFree Verse

the rhythmic rise and fall of the voicePoets writing free verse may not follow formal rules, but they do pay close attention topausesbalance between long and short phrasesrepetition of words and rhymes[End of Section]Free Verse

I am a copper wire slung in the air,Slim against the sun I make not even a clear line of shadow.Night and day I keep singinghumming and thrumming:from Under a Telephone Pole by Carl SandburgOnomatopoeiause of words that sound like what they mean.In addition to rhythm and rhyme, poets also use onomatopoeia, alliteration, and assonance to give their poems a musical quality.Sound Effects

Alliterationrepetition of the same consonant sound in several words, usually at the beginnings of the words.A bird sang sweet and strong In the top of the highest tree. He said, I pour out my heart in song For the summer that soon shall be.from Spring Song by George William CurtisSound Effects

Assonancerepetition of the same vowel sound in several words.The baby moon, a canoe, a silver papoose canoe, sails and sails in the Indian west.A ring of silver foxes, a mist of silver foxes, sit and sit around the Indian moon.from Early Moon by Carl SandburgSound Effects

Find an example of each of type of sound effect:AlliterationAssonanceOnomatopoeiaSound EffectsQuick CheckBlack riders came from the sea by Stephen CraneBlack riders came from the sea. There was clang and clang of spear and shield, And clash and clash of roof and heel, Wild shouts and the wave of hair In the rush upon the wind: Thus the ride of Sin.[End of Section]

Black riders came from the sea by Stephen CraneBlack riders came from the sea. There was clang and clang of spear and shield, And clash and clash of roof and heel, Wild shouts and the wave of hair In the rush upon the wind: Thus the ride of Sin.Find an example of each of type of sound effect:AlliterationAssonanceOnomatopoeiaSound EffectsQuick Check

Find elements of poetry in the real world.List ten names. Identify the stressed and unstressed syllables. What tunes do the names make?Find political slogans that use rhyme and alliteration. Think of two exact rhymes and two approximate rhymes for ocean, wash, warm, beard, and power.Describe the following scenes, using onomatopoeia:a rainy, windy nighta cat eating dry cat foodPractice[End of Section]

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Modern poets who do use rhyme feel that it enhances the musical quality of their poetry.Modern PoetryRhyme was once considered essential to poetry, but its use has become a matter of choice for poets today.Make It RhymeMaya AngelouRobert Frost

Some poets use approximate rhymes because they feel all the exact rhymes have already been used.Approximate RhymeApproximate rhymes are also called half rhymes, off rhymes, slant rhymes, or imperfect rhymes.Make It Rhyme

Rhyme SchemeRhyme scheme is indicated by assigning a new letter of the alphabet for each new rhyme. Seeing the snowman standing all aloneIn dusk and cold is more than he can bear. The small boy weeps to hear the wind prepareA night of gnashings and enormous moan.from Boy at the Window by Richard WilburabbaMake It Rhyme

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