Analysis Poetry - Perkuliahan Online 7

Questions :

1. What do you know about rhythm in poetry? Explain and give example.
2. The second part of the meter is the number of feet contained in a line.
Explain the number of feet contained in a line. Give example.

3. Explain the following types of word sounds

 Alliteration
 Assonance
 Consonance
 Onomatopoeia
 Repetition.

Answer :

1. It is the pattern of stresses in poetic writing. Writers use various types of

rhythms and numbers of syllables in order to create these patterns. Some,
like iambic pentameter, are extremely common and widely used. This
particular pattern is quite regular, often sounding like a heart or drum
beat.

Example :

Sorrow like a ceaseless rain

Beats upon my heart.

People twist and scream in pain, —

Dawn will find them still again;

 This has neither wax nor wane,

Neither stop nor start.

Trochaic meter is one of the most popular kinds of rhythms in poetry. It is

composed of what is known as a “falling rhythm,” this refers to the fact
that the stress happens first, and then the unstressed beat falls from
it. This kind of meter is usually slower than iambs, but it can fill a poem
with drama. 

2. The Number of Feet

The second part of meter is the number of feet contained in a line. Thus:
one foot=monometer
two feet=dimeter
three feet=trimeter
four feet=tetrameter
five feet=pentameter
six feet=hexameter (when hexameter is in iambic rhythm, it is called an
alexandrine)

3. Another type of sound play is the emphasis on individual sounds and

words:
a. Alliteration: the repetition of initial sounds on the same line or
stanza - Big bad Bob bounced bravely.
b. Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds (anywhere in the middle
or end of a line or stanza) - Tilting at windmills
c. Consonance: the repetition of consonant sounds (anywhere in the
middle or end of a line or stanza) - And all the air a solemn
stillness holds. (T. Gray)
d. Onomatopoeia: words that sound like that which they describe
- Boom! Crash! Pow! Quack! Moo! Caress...
e. Repetition: the repetition of entire lines or phrases to emphasize
key thematic ideas.