How Is Meter Used In Ozymandias
Rhythm is a fundamental element of poetry created by meter. The patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables gives poems a musical quality that generally increases the pleasure of reading them. We as humans naturally find rhythms in life, and some poets appeals to this by creating an easy rhythm to follow. However, meter is also a powerful tool that poets have to help them better convey their intentions. Poems can have a consistent meter to help set the pace, but they can also metrical variations that can act as a pivot for a change in tone, or to draw attention to a particular idea. This is what rhythm and meter is for. They are not used as a foundation for conveying emotions, nor are they used to dictate the tone or to solely communicate
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the main ideas. Meter helps create a steady and consistent flow. It bolsters the overall fluidity and sets the pace of a reading. It contributes to the total meaning of a poem by strengthening the underlying tone, by enhancing the emotions felt, and by reinforcing the main ideas .
Tone is a vital component of poems that is usually conveyed through diction, imagery, and figurative language, but can be supported by rhythm. Emily Dickinson uses a regular meter in her poem Because I could not stop for Death to create a relaxed rhythm that increases the calm and resigned tone. This poem is about the speaker's acceptance of death, and how she views death as a welcome suitor to be married. The speaker explores the idea of an afterlife, and understands that if there is one, then there is little to fear from Death. The poem is broken up into six quatrains, and each one contains lines that alternate between iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter. The entire poem flows smoothly with the regular pattern, and is not forced. The tempo is calm, and so the tone feels calm. There are no other feet save for line 21 which reads, "Since then— 'tis Centuries— and yet" (Dickinson). This line contains an anapestic foot, but it can be argued that "Centuries" should be read as "cent'ries" which would make the line fit the established pattern. However, the anapest draws attention to the line. We learn that the speaker has been dead for centuries, but the tone is still just as relaxed. Either way, Emily Dickinson enhances the tone of the poem by using meter to have the words flow to a gentle rhythm, and the tone contributes to the total meaning of the poem by showing how relaxed the speaker is in the face of death because of her belief in an afterlife.
Expressing emotions is one of the most common uses for poetry. While prose can describe ideas or events clearly, poetry can effectively help the reader experience the emotions of those events, and rhythm plays an important role in this regard. Alfred Tennyson's poem Break, break, break is about a speaker who is jealous of the happiness of others because he had lost a beloved friend. The poem is written in irregular quatrains that contains both iambic and anapestic feet. The first line, "Break, break, break" (Tennyson), contains three stressed syllables. They are also separated by commas, and this creates a sort of dissonance that suggests that the speaker is not in a pleasant state of mind or he would have used a foot that was more fluid like iambs. In contrast, the poet used anapestic trimeter when he wrote, "And the sound of a voice that is still!" (Tennyson). This irregularity in the rhythm mirrors the speaker's inner turmoil. The meter is chaotic, and it helps us to better understand that raging emotions of grief and bitterness that we got from the meaning of the words.
Generally, the message of a poem is better understood when it is supported by multiple literary devices.
Meter can allow a poem to emulate one of the ideas inside of a poem. An example of this can be seen with Percy Bysshe Shelley's sonnet Ozymandias. This poem, written mostly in iambic pentameter, is about a statue of a proud king called Ozymandias. It seemed like the statue was once a massive structure looking over a great Egyptian city, but all that is left is a pedestal supporting "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone" (Shelley 121). Shelley likely intended the poem to be about how time and nature will always destroy what humanity has created regardless of how large our creations are, and that no matter how powerful someone is, there will eventually be no evidence of their existence. While the poem can be classified as iambic pentameter, is is not a perfect definition. Line twelve reads, "Nothing beside remains. Round the decay" (Shelley 122). "Nothing" is trochaic. The next two feet are iambic, and the last is trochaic. The trochaic feet are thrown around reflecting the statue with its damaged head sunken into the sand. The image of a scattered statue coupled with the scattered meter highlights the futility of chasing immortality. It effectively enhances the poem's meaning without using more
words.
As is the case with all poetic devices, rhythm and meter is not required for a poem to be exceptional. However, correct usage of meter will improve the overall message of the poem by strengthening the tone of the poem, the emotions conveyed, and main ideas of the poem. It is another tool that can allow readers to truly understand what the poet wants to communicate. Chaotic arrangements of varying feet will heighten a poem intended to have turbulent emotions, while regular patterns can enhance a variety of tones; this could allow poems to feel calm, monotonous, or even animated by emulating the rapid but consistent beating of an excited heart. Seeing the message of a poem expressed multiple ways simply adds to the depth and enjoyment of the poem.
the main ideas. Meter helps create a steady and consistent flow. It bolsters the overall fluidity and sets the pace of a reading. It contributes to the total meaning of a poem by strengthening the underlying tone, by enhancing the emotions felt, and by reinforcing the main ideas .
Tone is a vital component of poems that is usually conveyed through diction, imagery, and figurative language, but can be supported by rhythm. Emily Dickinson uses a regular meter in her poem Because I could not stop for Death to create a relaxed rhythm that increases the calm and resigned tone. This poem is about the speaker's acceptance of death, and how she views death as a welcome suitor to be married. The speaker explores the idea of an afterlife, and understands that if there is one, then there is little to fear from Death. The poem is broken up into six quatrains, and each one contains lines that alternate between iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter. The entire poem flows smoothly with the regular pattern, and is not forced. The tempo is calm, and so the tone feels calm. There are no other feet save for line 21 which reads, "Since then— 'tis Centuries— and yet" (Dickinson). This line contains an anapestic foot, but it can be argued that "Centuries" should be read as "cent'ries" which would make the line fit the established pattern. However, the anapest draws attention to the line. We learn that the speaker has been dead for centuries, but the tone is still just as relaxed. Either way, Emily Dickinson enhances the tone of the poem by using meter to have the words flow to a gentle rhythm, and the tone contributes to the total meaning of the poem by showing how relaxed the speaker is in the face of death because of her belief in an afterlife.
Expressing emotions is one of the most common uses for poetry. While prose can describe ideas or events clearly, poetry can effectively help the reader experience the emotions of those events, and rhythm plays an important role in this regard. Alfred Tennyson's poem Break, break, break is about a speaker who is jealous of the happiness of others because he had lost a beloved friend. The poem is written in irregular quatrains that contains both iambic and anapestic feet. The first line, "Break, break, break" (Tennyson), contains three stressed syllables. They are also separated by commas, and this creates a sort of dissonance that suggests that the speaker is not in a pleasant state of mind or he would have used a foot that was more fluid like iambs. In contrast, the poet used anapestic trimeter when he wrote, "And the sound of a voice that is still!" (Tennyson). This irregularity in the rhythm mirrors the speaker's inner turmoil. The meter is chaotic, and it helps us to better understand that raging emotions of grief and bitterness that we got from the meaning of the words.
Generally, the message of a poem is better understood when it is supported by multiple literary devices.
Meter can allow a poem to emulate one of the ideas inside of a poem. An example of this can be seen with Percy Bysshe Shelley's sonnet Ozymandias. This poem, written mostly in iambic pentameter, is about a statue of a proud king called Ozymandias. It seemed like the statue was once a massive structure looking over a great Egyptian city, but all that is left is a pedestal supporting "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone" (Shelley 121). Shelley likely intended the poem to be about how time and nature will always destroy what humanity has created regardless of how large our creations are, and that no matter how powerful someone is, there will eventually be no evidence of their existence. While the poem can be classified as iambic pentameter, is is not a perfect definition. Line twelve reads, "Nothing beside remains. Round the decay" (Shelley 122). "Nothing" is trochaic. The next two feet are iambic, and the last is trochaic. The trochaic feet are thrown around reflecting the statue with its damaged head sunken into the sand. The image of a scattered statue coupled with the scattered meter highlights the futility of chasing immortality. It effectively enhances the poem's meaning without using more
words.
As is the case with all poetic devices, rhythm and meter is not required for a poem to be exceptional. However, correct usage of meter will improve the overall message of the poem by strengthening the tone of the poem, the emotions conveyed, and main ideas of the poem. It is another tool that can allow readers to truly understand what the poet wants to communicate. Chaotic arrangements of varying feet will heighten a poem intended to have turbulent emotions, while regular patterns can enhance a variety of tones; this could allow poems to feel calm, monotonous, or even animated by emulating the rapid but consistent beating of an excited heart. Seeing the message of a poem expressed multiple ways simply adds to the depth and enjoyment of the poem.