Rhythm and Meter

Member of groub :
Rina Nur Fitri S (183211080)
Muhammad Eksan M (183211098)
Ghozi Fawwaz A (183211105)
 Rhythm

 In literature, rhythm is the pattern of stressed and unstressed

beats.
 most commonly found in poetry, though it is also present in
some works of drama and prose.

 The rhythm of a poem can be analyzed through the number of

lines in a verse, the number of syllables in the line, whether
they are accented or unaccented.
 Function of
Rhythm
 The use of rhythm in poetry arises from the need that
some words are to be produced more strongly than
others.

 The repeated use of rhythmical patterns of such

accent produces rhythmical effect w hich sounds
pleasant to the mind as well as to the soul.
 Meter

 Meter is the rhythm of syllables in a line of verse or stanza of

poem.
 It is a poetic device that serves as a linguistic sound pattern for
the verses, as it gives poetry a rhythmical and melodious sound.
 meter governs individual units within a line of poetry, called
“feet.” A “foot” of a poetic work features a specific number of
syllables and pattern of emphasis.
 Foot is the basic unit of measurement of accentual-syllabic meter.
 A meter contains a sequence of several feet, where each foot has
a number of syllables such as stressed or unstressed.
 Examples of Metrical Feet
For English poetry, metrical feet generally feature two or three
syllables. They are categorized by a specific combination of stressed
and unstressed syllables. The most common examples of metrical feet
include:
a) Trochee : stressed syllable followed by unstressed syllable, as in
“cus-tom”
b) Iamb : unstressed syllable followed by stressed syllable, as in
“des-cribe”
c) Spondee : equal stress for both syllables, as in “cup-cake”
d) Dactyl :stressed syllable, followed by two unstressed syllables,
as in “bi-cy-cle”
e) Anapest :two unstressed syllables, followed by a stressed
syllable, as in “understand”
 Types of Meter

• Iambic : a foot which starts with an unaccented and ends with

an accented (stressed) syllable. (e.g. Include, retract)
• Trochiaic : a foot that begins with an accented then followed
by an unaccented syllable. (e.g. Picture, Flower)
• Anapestic : a foot which has two unaccented syllable followed
by an accented syllable. (e.g. Com-pre-hend)
• Dactylic : a foot including an accented syllable followed by
two unaccented syllable. (e.g. An-no-tate)
• Spondee : A foot consisting of two accented syllables. (e.g. E-
nough)
 Function of Meter
• Playwrights as well as prose writers often use it to heighten
the dramatic quality of their work, adding enchantment,
mystery and emotion to their language.

• Its basic function is to provide rhythm, uniformity and give a

rounded and well formed structure to the poetic work. It
makes the tone of a language more lyrical.
Relationship Between Meter and
Rhythm

 Rhythm is also closely associated with meter, which

identifies units of stressed and unstressed syllables.

 When an author combines metrical units into a

pattern, he or she creates rhythm.