Date: Fri, 10 Jan 1997 03:18:10 -0800 (PST)
From: StreetWrites 
To: Our Poetry List 
Subject: {poetry} EXERCISE:  Rhythm Rewrite

	What I've done is insert an "objectives" bit at the beginning, and
several exercise breaks throughout the topic, with a "Final" at the end. 
Please let me know if it flies better. 

	Also let me know if it has weird characters or codes in it.  I'm
sending from the Macintosh.  It looks all right at this end but.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"We've Got Rhythm"
------------------

"The time has come, the Poet said,
 to speak of many things;
 Of metaphors, and similes,
 and whether Feet have Wings;
 How cummings lost his shift key,
 and parody that stings."

	-- Anitra L. Freeman

	Today's topic is that bit about "whether Feet have Wings."  We'll
get to the rest later.

	This topic is a highly debated one in modern poetry.  There are as
many opinions about the usefulness of traditional metric theory as there
are poets.  More - I change my opinion three times a day.

	I'm not going to try to settle the debate here.  All I aim at is:

1) To give you the terminology, so at least you know what the debaters are
talking about when they start slinging words. 

2) To give you a feel for the different rhythms possible in the language.

You may feel like trying something new in your own writing.

Poetic Podiatry
---------------

	A "foot", in the poet's glossary, is a unit of stressed and
unstressed syllables.  There are many varied combinations possible; only
four prevail in English poetry:

	one unstressed syllable, followed by one stressed : iamb
	one stressed syllable, then one unstressed	  : trochee
	two unstressed, one stressed			  : anapest
	two stressed, one unstressed			  : dactyl

	A rhythm built by repetitions of iambs is "iambic".  Repetition of
trochees is trochaic; anapests, anapestic; dactyls, dactylic.

	How did these come to be called "feet"?  One theory is that they
"measure" the lines of poetry.  The varied line lengths are called, with
Greek prefixes:
	
monometer	one foot	
		he SITS

dimeter		two feet	
		he SITS on CHAIRS	

trimeter	three feet	
		he SITS on CHAIRS in BARS

tetrameter	four feet	
		he SITS on CHAIRS in BARS and THINKS

pentameter	five feet	
		he SITS on CHAIRS in BARS and THINKS of CARS

hexameter	six feet
		he SITS on CHAIRS in BARS and THINKS of CARS that BREAK

etcetera.

	Another theory is that they are called "feet" because too much
emphasis on them can make a poem plod.  Part of the joy and music of
poetry is the way the words are woven into meter; part of the poet's 
skill
is to know how to vary that meter enough to wake up the reader.

	We'll get into that later, too.  Right now, we just want to
develop an eye and an ear for the rhythm of each different meter.

	Following are more examples of each variety, and specific
exercises to familiarize yourself with each meter. 

Iamb What Iamb
--------------

The iambic meter is the most common in the English language.  Some 
examples:

Iambic pentameter:

	when I have FEARS that I may CEASE to BE
	beFORE my PEN has GLEAN'D my TEEMing BRAIN

		-- John Keats

Iambic tetrameter:

	come LIVE with ME and BE my LOVE
	and WE will ALL the PLEAsures PROVE

		-- Christopher Marlowe

Iambic monometer:

	one GIRL.
	one BOY.
	one PHONE.
	no JOY.

		-- Anitra Freeman


	Approximately 75% of iambic verse is in pentameter, including most
of Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton.  This includes rhymed forms, and the
unrhymed iambic pentameter form, which is called "blank verse". 


Exercise:
-------

Basic:
-----

Write a two- to four-line iambic verse in each of the following meters.  
It can be rhymed or unrhymed.

hexameter
pentameter
tetrameter
trimeter
dimeter
monometer

Guidelines for critique:
--------------------

For all the critiques in this section, focus on this.  "Yes, it fit the 
meter," or, "No, that line didn't fit that meter."  Reasons that a line 
did not fit the given meter might be:

) The syllable supposed to be stressed (or unstressed) was not one 
naturally stressed (or unstressed).

	IF i was CALLED to go Away from YOU my dear

isn't really dactylic tetrameter, no matter how I capitalize my 
syllables.

) Misunderstanding of the terms; ex. giving

	i DO not KNOW if I can WRITE this WAY

as an example of trochee.

) Miscounting feet; ex. listing

	AM i ALmost DONE with THIS

under pentameters.

The focus for critique in this exercise is simply whether or not the 
lines did "scan" - were in fact iambic, and had the right number of feet.



Intermediate:
------------

Locate a piece of poetry that you admire - not over 20 lines long - that 
is iambic, of any meter.

Now write an imitation of it.  You may choose to mimic the idea, or the 
style, or the form - but what you must mimic closely is the beat.  
Without duplicating the words, duplicate the pattern of stressed and 
unstressed syllables.

When posting this exercise, please give the title and author of the poem 
you worked from.

Guidelines for critique
-----------------------

The focus for critique in this exercise is simply whether or not the 
lines were in fact iambic, and had the same number of feet as the 
original.

Any other criteria may also be discussed, but be sure to cover the meter.



Trochees
--------

Trochaic tetrameter:

	PIping DOWN the VALleys WILD

		-- William Blake

	TYger TYger BURNing BRIGHT

		-- William Blake

Trochaic dimeter:

	SOUND the FLUTE!
	NOW it's MUTE.

		-- William Blake

	Almost every example of trochees I can think of comes from William 
Blake!


Exercise:
--------

Basic:
-----

Write a two- to four-line trochaic verse in each of the following meters.  
It can be rhymed or unrhymed.

hexameter
pentameter
tetrameter
trimeter
dimeter
monometer

Guidelines for critique:
-----------------------

The focus for critique in this exercise is simply whether or not the 
lines did "scan" - were in fact trochaic, and had the right number of 
feet.

Intermediate:
------------

Locate a piece of poetry that you admire - not over 20 lines long - that 
is trochaic, of any meter.

Now write an imitation of it.  You may choose to mimic the idea, or the 
style, or the form - but what you must mimic closely is the beat.  
Without duplicating the words, duplicate the pattern of stressed and 
unstressed syllables.

When posting this exercise, please give the title and author of the poem 
you worked from.  I will be very interested to see how many other poets 
you can find BESIDES William Blake, using trochees.

Guidelines for critique
-----------------------

The focus for critique in this exercise is simply whether or not the 
lines were in fact trochaic, and had the same number of feet as the 
original.

Any other criteria may also be discussed, but be sure to cover the meter.



Anapest-y
---------

Anapestic tetrameter:

	twas the NIGHT before CHRISTmas and ALL through the HOUSE

		-- Clement Moore

	when the VOICes of CHILDren are HEARD on the GREEN

		--  William Blake

Anapestic trimeter:

	just a BEER and a BOY, and i'll DANCE

		-- Anitra Freeman


	Yes.  I like William Blake's best, myself.


Exercise:
--------

Basic:
-----

Write a two- to four-line anapestic verse in each of the following 
meters.  It can be rhymed or unrhymed.

pentameter
tetrameter
trimeter

Guidelines for critique:
-----------------------

The focus for critique in this exercise is simply whether or not the 
lines did "scan" - were in fact anapestic, and had the right number of 
feet.

Intermediate:
------------

Locate a piece of poetry that you admire - not over 20 lines long - that 
is anapestic, of any meter.

Now write an imitation of it.  You may choose to mimic the idea, or the 
style, or the form - but what you must mimic closely is the beat.  
Without duplicating the words, duplicate the pattern of stressed and 
unstressed syllables.

When posting this exercise, please give the title and author of the poem 
you worked from.

Guidelines for critique
-----------------------

The focus for critique in this exercise is simply whether or not the 
lines were in fact anapestic, and had the same number of feet as the 
original.

Any other criteria may also be discussed, but be sure to cover the meter.



Dactyls
-------

Dactylic tetrameter:

	AFter the PANGS of a DESperate LOVer

		-- ????


	"No," I told a fellow workshop developer, as i wrote this exercise, 
"dactyls, NOT pterodactyls."  However, the dactyls are about as rare as 
the pterodactyls.  Let's see what we can do to revive them.


Exercise:
--------

Basic:
-----

Write a two- to four-line dactylic verse in each of the following meters.  
It can be rhymed or unrhymed.

pentameter
tetrameter
trimeter

Guidelines for critique:
-----------------------

The focus for critique in this exercise is simply whether or not the 
lines did "scan" - were in fact dactylic, and had the right number of 
feet.

Intermediate:
------------

Locate a piece of poetry that you admire - not over 20 lines long - that 
is dactylic, of any meter.

Now write an imitation of it.  You may choose to mimic the idea, or the 
style, or the form - but what you must mimic closely is the beat.  
Without duplicating the words, duplicate the pattern of stressed and 
unstressed syllables.

When posting this exercise, please give the title and author of the poem 
you worked from.

Guidelines for critique
-----------------------

The focus for critique in this exercise is simply whether or not the 
lines were in fact dactylic, and had the same number of feet as the 
original.

Any other criteria may also be discussed, but be sure to cover the meter.


FINAL EXERCISE:

	Write a poem of ten to twenty lines in your favorite meter.  Some
poets have successfully used alternate lines in different meters, or other
combinations.  Get adventurous, if you wish - or do straight iambic
pentameter.  Your choice.

Guidelines for critique:
-----------------------

Apply all criteria you usually use for poetry, but be sure to include:

1) What meter was used?  Was there more than one?

2) How consistent was the meter?

3) What was the effect of the meter?

4) What was the effect of any breaks in meter, if there were such?


So, now -
WRITE ON! 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
     "Beware of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup."  ABS
	   anitra@speakeasy.org   http://www.speakeasy.org/~anitra
	   thalia@speakeasy.org   http://www.speakeasy.org/~thalia

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