| %%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%%
%%ONOFF%%
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Poetry: September 22, 2010 Issue [#3916] |
  Poetry This week: Poetic Meter: Spondees Edited by: Northernwrites   More Newsletters By This Editor   1. About this Newsletter 2. A Word from our Sponsor 3. Letter from the Editor 4. Editor's Picks 5. A Word from Writing.Com 6. Ask & Answer 7. Removal instructions  Greetings from Northernwrites , your editor for today's Poetry newsletter. Meter, rhyme, and form are not the only tools available for creating structure in poetry. Everyday things that you have been learning since you were a toddler and ideas cross-pollinated among the arts and sciences can enrich the creative experience and expand the possibilities for discovery. The best thing about them is that it doesn't matter whether you're writing free verse or traditional poetry. Today's newsletter will discuss a cross-pollination between substitutes, musical themes, and poetry.    Poetic Meter: Spondees Substitutes are often seen as a replacement of lower quality. A substitute teacher who fills in during the absence of the regular teacher has the disadvantage of not knowing the students and sometimes isn't trained in that subject. A temp who fills in while the regular worker is on vacation probably has the same basic skills, but lacks familiarity with the company's way of doing things. When we don't have an ingredient called for in a recipe, we can sometimes substitute something else and get results that range from almost the same to just passable. But sometimes substitutes are used because they can do a different job, or because they are special in some way. A guest lecturer is usually an expert on what they talk about. In baseball, the designated hitter is a good batter who replaces the pitcher in the batting order to improve the team's offensive strength. A sugar substitute has only a few calories compared to the real thing. Occasional feet are used as substitutes or replacements for the primary foot of a meter. They add variety to the rhythm of a poem, and because they are a variation, they can mark places where the poet wants the reader to pay special attention. One of the occasional feet used in metered verse is the spondee, a foot with two stressed syllables [ // ]. Spondaic feet come with heavy emphasis and read slower. Sometimes another occasional foot, the pyrrhic, which has two unstressed syllables [ - - ], precedes a spondee. That combination is called a double iamb [ - - / / ]. Some Notes about Scansion Now, scansion is not an exact science, and people can scan the same line in different ways because they read it aloud differently, or because they use different rules of scansion. Since English has four general levels of spoken stress, and scansion only gives you stressed and unstressed options for analysis, it's obvious that there is room for variation. But really, it depends on what you're using the scansion for. To analyze what the meter is doing to a poem structurally, you need to use the basic method, which goes by the dictionary as much as possible. Dictionaries mark where the primary and secondary stresses occur in words, but some things you still have to decide for yourself. -- Some words have different pronunciations with the stresses in different places. For example: dislocate is pronounced DISlocate or disLOcate; cannot is pronounced CANnot or canNOT. -- Some words are stressed only some of the time. Whether these words take a slight stress (or more) or not depends on the context. For this method, they are usually counted as unstressed syllables. Some examples are: and, that, how, what, when, where, while, who, why, to, be, a, an, not, of, off, oh, on, in, since, with, thy, their, them, he, she, it, I, you. Going by ear can be faster if you're experienced at it, but you get less information. You can use this method to check what the basic meter is, and to look for awkward places. When you listen to the natural reading of a line, you consider the relative differences between the stresses on the syllables in each foot. This method minimizes the use of the occasional feet. How a word scans can depend on where it falls in the line, as in whether it crosses the division between feet or not, and on the levels of stress of the other syllables in the foot. -- A few compound words like baseborn have double primary stresses and still scan as [ // ]. -- A compound word like baseball, which the dictionary shows having a primary stress on the first syllable and a secondary stress on the second syllable, could scan as [ / - ] instead of [ // ]. -- A phrase like ducklings in a row could scan as [ / - / - / ] in a two-syllable meter. -- A phrase like ducks in a row could scan as [ / - - / ] in a three-syllable meter. The examples shown below are the dictionary scansion. When It Isn't a Spondee The natural meter of English is iambic, and the language usually doesn't put two stressed syllables together. Even when it does, adjacent unstressed syllables can put a pair of stressed syllables in separate feet -- for example, an iamb followed by a trochee [ -/ /- ]: For fire safety, restrict access to doors opening in. [ -/ /- -/ /- -/ /- -/ ] Pretend princess bombards pretty, balloon-covered parade palace with pins. [ -/ /- -/ /- -/ /- -/ /- -/ ] Caesuras don't affect the scansion, and neither do extra or missing unstressed syllables at the beginning or end of a line. So why not call them alternating spondees and pyrrhics ending with anapests? Because the iamb-trochee scansion is simpler. Given alternatives, the most common option takes precedence. Methods for Creating Spondees Sometimes you can create a spondee simply by putting two stressed words together. There are some additional ways to get stressed syllables next to each other: exclamation points, repetition for emphasis, and lists or other grammatical structures with punctuation that allow stressed syllables from different phrases or clauses to be adjacent.  An example from Tennyson shows the effects of repetition:Break, break, break on thy cold grey stones, O sea! [ // /- -/ // // ] Another example, from A Nocturnal Sketch by Thomas Hood, creates spondees at the ends of the lines by using grammatical structures and punctuation:Even is come; and from the dark park, hark, [ /- -/ - - -/ // ] The signal of the setting sun -- one gun! [ -/ - - -/ -/ // ] Now puss, while folks are in their beds, treads leads, [ -/ -/ - - -/ // ] And sleepers waken, grumble -- "Drat that cat!" [ -/ -/ -/ -/ // ] Line 1 uses an introductory phrase and the command form sentence structure, which has an understood subject. Line 2 is a noun phrase that uses a dash to mark an appositive, a noun that renames another noun. This structure is like having an understood "be" verb. Line 3 uses an adverb clause set off by commas at each end, positioned between the subject and the verb of the main clause. Line 4 uses a quoted speech, which has its own emphasis (the exclamation point), uses command form sentence structure, and uses "that" to emphasize which cat (context). Lines 1-3 maintain five beats per line by using a pyrrhic somewhere in the line. Line 4 has six beats and imitates an alexandrine (6 iambic feet), including the usual caesura at the halfway mark (the comma after waken). A third example, from the cheer, uses a list construction:Two, four, six, eight! [ // // ] A fourth example, comparing an early version of Dr. Suess's Green Eggs and Ham to the final version, shows the difference in meter created by moving an exclamation point:Not in a car. You let me be! [ /- -/ // // ] Not in a car! You let me be. [ /- -/ -/ -/ ] Getting multiple spondees is more likely when you use a string of 1-syllable words without pronouns, be verbs, or prepositions. Compounded or hyphenated 1-syllable nouns can also be used. Paring down a sentence to essentials can eliminate words that prevent spondees. This is a style you might see used in headlines, advertising copy, or directions. As you can see, some of these examples don't read very well as poetry.Bent-sheet price saves six bucks. [ // // // ] Old handmade quilt tops cost much more. [ // // // // ] Young knight checks chess-match king. [ // // // ] Play ball. Swing bat. Steal base. Head home. [ // // // // ] Please post squash court times soon. [ // // // ] Twist wing nuts tight. [ // // ] A couple of cautions: Words that can be used as nouns or verbs (or other functions) can create ambiguities when used this way. Also, when many syllables are stressed in a row, the emphasis effect can be diminished because of the lack of contrast, because it starts to feel choppy, or because the heavy repetition causes reader fatigue.  For Best Results, Use Spondees Where the Emphasis Enhances and Supports the Content. In the Star Wars movies, each of the main characters had a musical theme that was usually played when they were the focus of a shot. Whether you are writing metered poetry or free verse, you can use the repetition of an exclusive, short, rhythmic pattern to connect related wording, much like those musical themes. For example, this is the first stanza of "The Second Coming" by William Butler Yeats. It uses iambic pentameter with some substitutions. 1 Turning and turning in the widening gyre 2 The falcon cannot hear the falconer; 3 Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; 4 Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, 5 The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere 6 The ceremony of innocence is drowned; 7 The best lack all conviction, while the worst 8 Are full of passionate intensity. The wording in the last two lines of this stanza is cross-balanced in contrasts -- best against worst, lack all against full, best paired with lack all, and worst paired with full. Online discussion of the poem indicates that the first line is also balanced that way because of the poet's personal definition of the word gyre. One would expect the additional structures to show the same characteristics. The stanza uses the repeating rhythm of [ - - - / ] in five places, and the last one is followed by an extra pyrrhic. There are also two places that share the rhythm of [ - / // ]. 1 TURN ing / and TURN / ing in / the WID / en ing GYRE 2 the FAL / con CAN / not HEAR / the FAL / con er; 3 THINGS FALL / a PART;|/ the CEN / ter CAN / not HOLD; 4 MERE AN / ar chy / is LOOSED / u PON / the WORLD, 5 the BLOOD- / DIMMED TIDE / is LOOSED, / and EV / ery WHERE 6 the CER / e MO / ny of IN / no cence / is DROWNED; 7 the BEST / LACK ALL / con VIC / tion, while / the WORST 8 are FULL / of PAS / sion ate / in TENS / i ty. That leaves some oddball spondees at the beginning of lines, but what comes before or after them doesn't match. One spondee has an iamb in front of it on the previous line, which could match the blue rhythm, but the leftover spondee suggests that we're not seeing everything correctly yet. Repeated words are often a signal to look for something special at or near that place. The repeated word cannot can have two different metrical readings. The first choice, CANnot, was logical because that's what the standard iambic rhythm called for. But one of them is close to one of the oddball spondees. What happens if we switch to the other reading? With canNOT, we get two more spondees in double iambs [ - - / / ]. Now we can see that everything matches. We have three double iambs and the last one is followed by an extra spondee. That accounts for all the occasional feet. 1 TURN ing / and TURN / ing in / the WID / en ing GYRE 2 the FAL / con can / NOT HEAR / the FAL / con er; 3 THINGS FALL / a PART;|/ the CEN / ter can / NOT HOLD; 4 MERE AN / ar chy / is LOOSED / u PON / the WORLD, 5 the BLOOD- / DIMMED TIDE / is LOOSED, / and EV / ery WHERE 6 the CER / e MO / ny of IN / no cence / is DROWNED; 7 the BEST / LACK ALL / con VIC / tion, while / the WORST 8 are FULL / of PAS / sion ate / in TENS / i ty. Oftentimes, there will be another supporting structure that shows the same thing, which can be confirmation. The syllables repeated in pairs -- con and cannot -- are another indication that these three pieces are supposed to match each other. The third pairing -- er and ter -- is close enough to count as a match under the general "two and a half" rule. The three themes -- [ - - - / ] [ - - / / ] [- / / / ] -- are paired up and are cross-balanced in contrast in similar fashion. Two have leading pyrrhics, two have trailing spondees, and two have iambs in opposite places. The themes are balanced in number as well: 3 reds + 2 blues =^= 5 greens. In their arrangement, the greens surround the others, and divide the blues from each other and from the reds. The reds are indivisible. This, too, fits with what's going on in the stanza in word play in one of the "attic" levels rather than on the main floor. Another thing to note is that only the red and green themes have an extra occasional foot accompanying the last one. The blue themes have an iamb following each of them -- a double application of the rule of two and a half and the rule of cross-balanced contrast. What about the substitutions with regular feet? There are two anapestic [ - - / ] and one trochaic [ / - ] substitutions. These are used for other special effects. In line 1, the number of adjacent unstressed feet "widens" just before the word widening. Entropy increases. 1 TURN ing / and TURN / ing in / the WID / en ing GYRE In line 6, the unstressed syllables increment from 1 to 3 as the end of the line approaches, putting more emphasis on the last word, drowned. It is similar to longer intervals between dying breaths. This also fits what the line is about. 6 the CER / e MO / ny of IN / no cence / is DROWNED; This is what the stanza and the themes look like using the regular scansion notation. 1 11-4 /- -/ - - -/ - -/ 2 10-5 -/ - - // -/ - - 3 10-6 // -/ -/ - - // 4 10-5 // - - -/ -/ -/ 5 10-6 -/ // -/ -/ -/ 6 11-4 -/ -/ - -/ - - -/ 7 10-5 - / // -/ - - -/ 8 10-3 -/ -/ - - -/ - - 
Today's poems emphasize stress:
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter! http://www.Writing.Com/main/newsletters.php?action=nli_form  Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter! http://www.Writing.Com/main/newsletters.php?action=nli_form Don't forget to support our sponsor! InstantPublisher.Com: Self publishing made easy and affordable. All file types accepted with many options. Starting at $100 for 25 copies in 7-10 days! Visit us today!  These comments were submitted in response to my previous editorial in "Eating a Poem One Bite At A Time" , on the principle of using stanzas to manage the space and content of a poem. I appreciate all those who took the time to write in:HuntersMoon  Submitted Item: "Autumn Requiem" [E] Comment: Every time I think I'm getting close to "there" you send me another newsletter and I learn something new  Thank you for your dilligence. Just FYI - several of the forms you've highlighted (and the one I've included) were created by Shelley A. Cephas - who just happens to be our own ShelleyA here at WDC. KenNW: I hear from the upper echelons that there's always something more to learn about poetry. You're welcome. Thanks for sharing. Pat ~Share the Joy at 1499415  Submitted Item: "Waking Up" [E] Comment: I always enjoy your newsletter. Besides the information you provide us with, we also are given a great place to find poems to read and review! NW: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy them. Monty getin better  Comment: Organization is always a great way to do things thus you have established a great Newsletter. NW: Thanks! Fyn  Comment: Superb newsletter! Lots of great ideas for the terminally cluttered. We have 'flat-surface-itus' at home...on my desk...and, unfortunately, my mind must have quite as few flat surfaces as well..... Thanks for using one of my poems this week as well. Extra cool! NW: Thank you, and you're welcome! BIG BAD WOLF  Submitted Item: "A Tribute to a Friend" [13+] Comment: This is a tribute to a woman that I'm sure many people felt the hand of during her few months on the site, Kathy Smile. I miss her. NW: Thanks for sharing. robquill Comment: Hi Northernwrites: Loved your article on, "Eating Poems One Bite At a Time". With a very complelling metaphor you have ventured into the land of forms and made some believable conquests. The variuos forms, from the simplest to the most commonly used, can be referenced to very easily, by the storage figure of speech, and the pre eminant anxiety of returning to the education race in the Fall, it is quite appropriate and creative. Robquill NW: Thank you. I'm pleased you liked it. Until our paths cross again, keep writing! Northernwrites  To stop receiving this newsletter, go into your account and remove the check from the box beside the specific topic. Be sure to click "Complete Edit" or it will not save your changes. |
Static Items
Books
Forums
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
