Study of F.O.R.M___Meter(part I) by Jack Huber.

F.O.R.M.- Meter (Part 1) Views: 40
Jul 06, 2010 10:11 am F.O.R.M.- Meter (Part 1) #

Jack Huber Meter is the pattern of syllables used in poetry, including the number and type, stressed and unstressed, of syllables in each line, and the patterns that are used in multiple lines. For notation's sake, I use a dash for unstressed syllables (-) and a carat for emphasized ones (^). So, "- ^ -" means, "dah-DUM-dah," like "consider" or "in fashion."

The line, "they have seen the policeman's holster" would have the notation, "- - ^ - - ^ - ^ -" (they have SEEN the poLICEman's HOLster).

Simalarly, "Do not go gentle into that good night" would be "- ^ - ^ - ^ - - ^ ^" (do NOT go GENtle INto that GOOD NIGHT).

A "foot" is the smallest repeating pattern in a line, so five feet of " - ^ " (called an iambic foot) would look like this:

- ^ - ^ - ^ - ^ - ^

Example:

"the pitch will soon be coming to the plate"

You can use notation to help determine the consistency of meter. A break in the pattern will really stand out.

Five iambic feet is called "iambic pentameter" and is a meter I use often. Just four iambic feet in a line is called "iambic tetrameter", and you can trade off in a stanza, making odd lines pentameter and even lines tetrameter, for example:

The pitch will soon be coming to the plate;
the batter's ready, leaning back.
Two fingers down, a curve-ball on its way,
avoiding contact, down goes Jack.

It is also acceptable to vary by a syllable if it makes the poem smoother to read, of is necessary in projecting emotion, but I strive for perfect meter, taking it as a personal challenge.

Just remember that once you start a meter pattern, you must keep that pattern throughout, unless a particular form requires a change. There are forms, such as haiku, that are meter independent, so maintaining a meter is not only difficult, but not desirable.

Interestingly, the best unrhymed poetry still uses meter to some extent for rhythm and flow.

Sonnets are often written in iambic pentameter. Here is an example:

Majestic

It has been years since guests have spent the night,
yet here it sits, majestic in its state
of disrepair, a shadow of the sight
it once projected, ill-aware of fate.

When gold ran out the miners laid in wait,
and word got out, which slowed the westward drift,
migration stalled while those in stead debate
decided if economies would lift.

With nothing else to draw, the end was swift,
more vacancies, the empty rooms were cold.
No longer could the owners man the shift,
and nothing left- the hotel hadn't sold.

The long abandoned property, forlorn,
displays its fading windows as we mourn.


Copyright © 2010 by Jack Huber-
All rights reserved.




Private Reply to Jack Huber

Jul 06, 2010 10:30 am re: F.O.R.M.- Meter (Part 1) #

Manohar Bhatia Jack,
Thank you very much in writing about METER.Actually, I had asked you in my previous questions about the meaning of METER, but it looks, my question got overlooked.Now, I am studying this METER meticulously to get into the heart of it.Thank you again,Jack.

Here is my dash(-) and carat(?)__________

"He walks delicately(-) on the hard(carat) surface."
How is the example,Jack?


Manohar Bhatia


Private Reply to Manohar Bhatia Delete your post

Jul 06, 2010 11:57 am re: re: F.O.R.M.- Meter (Part 1) #

Pushpa Moorjani Thank you Jack...still confusing though..but will try to understand...:))


Private Reply to Pushpa Moorjani

Jul 06, 2010 1:32 pm re: re: F.O.R.M.- Meter (Part 1) #

Jack Huber I'm sorry if I missed answering a question for you, Manohar. I'm not sure what you are asking here, but in my notation, the line:

He walks delicately on the hard surface

might be noted:

^ ^ ^ - ^ - - - ^ ^ -

The only caveat here is the first two words can be emphasized differently, though in American English they would both normally be emphasized. Noted a different way, with emphasized syllables in caps:

HE WALKS DEL-i-CATE-ly on the HARD SUR-face.

In poetry, the author can force a meter that is unnatural to speak, so you have to cater to the speech patterns of your readers to get the most fluid results.

FYI- the carat is shift-6 on most keyboards.

Hope this makes sense to you. I'll be writing about other meter patterns next week.

Jack


Private Reply to Jack Huber

Jul 07, 2010 3:06 am re: re: re: F.O.R.M.- Meter (Part 1) #

Maya Mahant I have homework piling up Jack, I have yet to attempt the last two forms you posted.

I sure am going to give this one a try.... BTW do you have an embedded poetic chip ..... just asking.

Maya


Private Reply to Maya Mahant

Jul 07, 2010 9:23 am re: re: re: F.O.R.M.- Meter (Part 1) #

Jack Huber What is confusing to you, Pushpa? Perhaps I can shed more light on it for you.

Jack


Private Reply to Jack Huber

Jul 07, 2010 9:35 am re: re: re: re: F.O.R.M.- Meter (Part 1) #

Jack Huber Maya,

No chip, just a good creative writing education when I was growing up...

Don't worry about trying every form. Homework is much more important.

Jack



Private Reply to Jack Huber

Jul 07, 2010 3:14 pm re: re: re: re: re: F.O.R.M.- Meter (Part 1) #

Pushpa Moorjani Thank you Jack..its these sounds - long and short...that is confusing....all this time I would concentrate on syllables and it was easier that way...I would tap on the table for syllables to get the rhythm....know what I mean?
:))


Private Reply to Pushpa Moorjani

Jul 07, 2010 8:46 pm re: re: re: re: re: re: F.O.R.M.- Meter (Part 1) #

Jack Huber You can possibly get the syllable breaks that way, but just as important are the stressed and unstressed aspects of them.
Simply, a syllable is a basic unit of speech generally containing only one vowel sound. The word "basic" contains two syllables ( ba-sic ). The word "generally" contains four ( gen-er-al-ly ).

The simplest way to ascertain where syllable breaks are and which are stressed in a word is to look the word up in a dictionary, such as dictionary.com. For example, the captions for the word "aspect" might be "as-pekt" or "as' pekt". Both show the syllable breaks and that "as" should be stressed (bold on the first and an apostrophe on the latter). Using a word in a sentence can change the stress of one or more syllables, so the dictionary reference is only a guide.

Yes, it can be confusing.

Jack.