2. RHYTHM
Rhythm refers to the pattern of sounds made by
varying the stressed and unstressed syllables in a
poem.
Rhythm (or "measure") in writing is like the beat in
music. In poetry, rhythm implies that certain words
are produced more force- fully than others, and may
be held for longer duration. The repetition of a
pattern of such emphasis is what produces a
"rhythmic effect." The word rhythm comes from the
Greek, meaning "measured motion."
3. There are five basic
rhythms in English poetry:
Iambic (made up of units of : one stressed
syllable and one unstressed syllable, or “x /”)
Trochaic (made up of units of: one unstressed
stressed and one stressed syllable, or “/ x”)
Spondaic (made up of units of: two unstressed
syllables, or “/ /”)
Anapestic (made up of units of: two stressed
syllables and one unstressed, or “x x /”)
Dactylic (made up of units of: one unstressed
syllable and two stressed syllables, or “/ / x”)
4. In poems, as in songs, a rhythm
may be obvious or muted. A
poem like Vachel Lindsay's "The
Congo" consciously recreates
the rhythms of a tribal dance:
5. Fat black bucks in a wine-barrel room
Barrel-house kings, with feet unstable,
Sagged and reeled and pounded on the
table, Pounded on the table, Beat an
empty barrel with the handle of a
broom, Hard as they were able Boom,
boom, BOOM, With a silk umbrella and
the handle of a broom, Boomlay,
boomlay, boomlay, BOOM.
6. On the other hand, some "free verse" has
underlying rhythmical patterns
that, while variable and not "regular"
like Vachel Lindsay's, do nonetheless
give a feeling of unity to the work. For
example, read aloud the following lines
a few times:
7. A chimney, breathing a little smoke. The
sun, I can't see making a bit of pink I
can't quite see in the blue. The pink of
five tulips at five P.M. on the day before
March first.
8. Why Would You Chose to
Use Rhythm in Your Poem ?
You are already using a rhythm in your
writing, whether you know it or not. All
sounds break down into some sort of
pattern. Even daily conversation
contains rhythm. The question is
whether you will work to make your
rhythms sounds better and flow more
smoothly or not
