Prosody Introduction
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Transcript of Prosody Introduction
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/prosody-introduction 1/23
Terms for DiscussingProsody
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/prosody-introduction 2/23
Basic Terms
Prosody: The metrical pronunciation of a song orpoem.
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 beatsin a poem to establish the prevailing metricalpattern.
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/prosody-introduction 3/23
Naming Numbers of Feet
1. One foot: monometer
2. Two feet: dimeter
3. Three feet: trimeter
4. Four feet: tetrameter
5. Five feet: pentameter
6. Six feet: hexameter7. Seven feet: heptameter or the septenary
8. Eight feet: octameter
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/prosody-introduction 4/23
Kinds of Feet: Spondaic and Pyrrhic Spondee stressed stressed
Pyrrhic unstressed unstressed
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
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Kinds of Feet: Iambic
1. Iamb/ iambic unstressed stressed
The most natural and common kind in English, this meterelevates 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.
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/prosody-introduction 6/23
Sounding out the Rhythm
The CURfew TOLLS the KNELL of PARTingDAY,
The LOWing HERD wind SLOWly O‟ER theLEA,
The PLOWman HOMEward PLODS his
WEARy WAY,
And LEAVES the WORLD to DARKness, ANDto ME.
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/prosody-introduction 7/23
Kinds of Feet: Trochaic
2. Trochaic/trochee stressed unstressed
Example:
Tyger, tyger, burning brightIn 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?
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
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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?
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/prosody-introduction 9/23
Kinds of feet: Dactylic
3. 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 inthe twilight,
Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic.
Say the first line aloud and mark the stressedsyllables.
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
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Sounding out the Rhythm
THIS is the FORest primEVal. TheMURmuring PINES and the HEMlocks,
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
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Kinds of Feet: Anapestic
4. Anapest/ anapestic unstressed unstressedstressed
'Twas the night before Christmas and all throughthe house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney withcare,
In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there.
Say this aloud and mark the stressed syllables.
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/prosody-introduction 12/23
Sounding out the Rhythm
'Twas the NIGHT before CHRISTmas and ALL through the HOUSE,
Not a CREAture was STIRring, not EVen aMOUSE.
The stockings were hung by the chimney
with care,
In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would bethere
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
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Examples
Try to figure out the meter for eachselection, and then we‟ll go on to the next
slide, where the answer will be given.
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
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Example 1
1. 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”
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/prosody-introduction 15/23
Answer to Example 1
Trochaic tetrameter. Notice the words thatare emphasized:
Line 1: Go, catch, fall, star
Line 2: Get, child, man, root
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
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Example 2
Macavity's a Mystery Cat: he's called theHidden Paw--
For he's the master criminal who can defythe 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!
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
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Answer to Example 2
Iambic heptameter (or the septenary).Note the stresses: MaCAViTY‟s the
MYStery CAT: he‟s CALLED the HIDdenPAW. “Mystery” is pronounced like
“mystry” here.
This type of seven-stress line is often usedin children‟s poems or humorous poems.
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/prosody-introduction 18/23
Example 3
'Tis the voice of the Lobster: I heard himdeclare
"You have baked me too brown, I mustsugar my hair."
As a duck with its eyelids, so he with his
noseTrims his belt and buttons, and turns out his
toes.
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/prosody-introduction 19/23
Answer to Example 3
Anapestic tetrameter. „Tis the VOICE of the LOBster: I HEARD him deCLARE.
If you listen to the rhythm, it sounds justlike “‟Twas the Night Before Christmas,”
which is written in the same meter.
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/prosody-introduction 20/23
Example 4
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.
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
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Answer to Example 4
Trochaic tetrameter. BY the SHORES of GITCHe-GUmee / BY the SHINing BIG-sea-Water
This is trochaic tetrameter with the last syllableadded. You‟ll recall that Blake‟s “The Tyger” hadthe last syllable of the line omitted (“Tyger!Tyger! Burning bright”). The example here is a
much more sing-song rhythm as a result of having that final syllable.
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
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Example 5
How say that by law we may torture andchase
A woman whose crime is the hue of herface?-
With her step on the ice and her arm on her
child,The danger was fearful, the pathway was
wild. . . .
7/28/2019 Prosody Introduction
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Answer to Example 5
Anapestic tetrameter, although this meter variessomewhat. How SAY that by LAW we may
TORture and CHASE / A WOman whose CRIMEis the HUE of her FACE?
This serious poem makes use of galloping meterbecause it deals with a mother escaping from
slavery. She is pursued as she crosses the riverinto freedom. The meter gives the rhythm of thepoem a sense of urgency.