16/02/2016

(1893

1918)

What is Form in poetry?

The form focuses on a certain pattern of the
poem  rhyme scheme or meter  or has a certain
topic/focus. Haiku, limericks and sonnets are all
forms of poetry that use conventional
arrangements of meter and rhyme patterns.

Form can also be understood as the physical

structure of the poem: the length of the lines,
their rhythms, their system of rhymes and
repetition.

How is the poem organized? How is it divided up?

Are there individual stanzas or numbered sections?
How are the sections or stanzas related to each
other?

A poems structure may tell you a lot about the

poets attitude toward the subject. Is it a very
formal topic? Is the poet trying to get a grip on
something chaotic?

16/02/2016

Scansion rhyme and rhythmic patterns of stressed

and unstressed syllables
A foot is a combination of stressed and unstressed syllables in a
line of poetry.

Iamb: A foot with two syllables, one that is not stressed and
one that is, in that order. ( x / )

Trochee: A foot with two syllables, this time with one that is
stressed and one that is not. ( / x )

Spondee: A foot with two syllables, both of which are
stressed. ( / / )

Pyrrhic: A foot with two syllables, both of which are
unstressed. ( x x )

Meter rhythmic structure of poetic verse

Monometer one foot (two syllables in a line e.g. a drum)  iambic
Dimeter two feet (his drumming noise 4 syllables)
Trimeter three feet (his drumming makes a noise)
Tetrameter four feet (he bangs the drum and makes a noise)
Pentameter five feet (he bangs the drum and makes a dreadful
noise)
Hexameter six feet (he bangs the drum and makes the most
appalling noise)

Exercise #1

In pairs, write one line which has the beats

of an iambic pentameter.

16/02/2016

Enjambment

The word enjambment comes from the French
which means to stride or move along.

If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood

Come gargling from the frothcorrupted lungs

Enjambment describes a runon. It gives you an

uninterrupted momentum, allows a sense of
continual flow in the image the poet creates.

Caesura

Most commonly, a caesura (from the Latin, caesum, to
cut) is punctuation (a pause, a break) somewhere
else other than at the end of a line of poetry.

But limped on, bloodshod. All went lame; all blind;

Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots

Dulce et Decorum Est

The poem consists of four stanzas of various
lengths. It can be understood as two sonnets
though the spacing is irregular.

The poem is similar to the French ballade form,

the poem consists of 28 lines which is the number
of lines used in the French ballade structure.

Ballade is a form of medieval and Renaissance

French poetry (not to be confused with ballad).

16/02/2016

The ballade is made up of 3 stanzas of 8 lines with

the rhyme scheme ABABBCBC, and a final 4line envoi
in the last stanza with the scheme BCBC but in
Owens poem it is quite different.

#2

Exercise
: In pairs, note the rhyme scheme in
Owens poem.

The poet breaks up his stanzas irregularly into 8, 6, 2,
and 10 lines.

Having a rhyme scheme makes a poem easier to
remember, it explores the rhythm or the pattern of
rhyming lines which gives meaning to the particular
line or poem as a whole.

Scansion

Dulce et decorum Est is written in more or less in
iambic pentameter, which consists of five pairs of
syllables. The first syllable of each pair is unstressed;
the second, stressed.

What effect does the first line create at the beginning

of the poem?
.......1................2................3...............4..................5
Bent DOU..|..ble, LIKE..|..old BEG..|..gars UN..|..der SACKS,

...........1......................2..................3......................4......................5
Knock KNEED,..|..cough ING..|..like HAGS,..|..we CURSED..|..through SLUDGE

Exercise #3

In pairs, tap out and complete the metrical rhyme
of each line in the 1st stanza with your fingers so
that you can physically check the regular /
irregular beats.

At what point in the poem does the speaker

depart from basic iambic meter? How does each
departure help underscore the meaning?

Discuss how the 2nd stanza uses rhythm to create

certain effects.

16/02/2016

So why use meter? Whats the function of meter?

Poets use meter

to heighten the dramatic quality of the poem,
adding enchantment, mystery and emotion to the
language.

to provide rhythm, uniformity and give a rounded
and wellformed structure.

to make the tone of language more lyrical.

to show artistic effects when a situation requires
heightened language.