Notes for A Poetry Handbook

Verbal skills can be practiced

Alphabet:

Vowels:
a, e, i, o, u

w, y

Consonants:

1. Semivowels: can protract the sound, at the end of the syllable

a. liquids (fluent)
l, m, n, r

b. Aspirates (strong breath)
c, f, g, h, j, s, x

c. others
v, w, y, z

2. Mutes (abrupt ends)
b, d, k, p, q, t, c, g hard


Alliteration:
1. The repetition of the initial sound of words in a line or lines of verse
2. Sometimes it includes the repetition of both the initial sounds and the interior sounds of words, which is called consonance.


Assonance:
1. The repetition of vowel sounds within words in line or lines of verse.
2. It creates slant rhyme
3. Sometimes it is less obvious tha alliteration, but it is as important


Onomatopoeia:
1. Words are natural sounds


No Name:
1. Arrangement of vowel sounds in the final line


The Line:

Length and Rhythm:

1. In the metrical verse, line can be devided into feet.
2. Foot can be devided into stresses

Metrical Lines:
1. One-foot line: monometer
2. Two-foot line: dimeter
3. Three-foot line: trimeter (even more intense)
4. Four-foot line: tetrameter (quickness, spareness, a little agitation)
5. Five-foot line: pentameter (just right)
6. Siv-foot line: hexameter (prolonged, godness)
7. Seven-foot line: alexandrine
8. Eight-foot line: octameter

Metrical Feet and Symbols:
1. iamb: a light stress followed by a heavy stress
2. trochee: a heavy stress followed by a light stress
3. dactyl: a heavy stress followed by two light stresses
4. anapest: two light stresses followed by a heavy stress
5. spondee: two equel stresses

Repitition creates pleasure, and pulls attention


Constancy:

1. When the constancy is broken, all the attention draws to the line or the foot

2. It stimulated and should be based on the physiological mood

Variation:

1. Do not be too static
2. Variation is needed to create attention or make things interesting
3. Variation might occur in different readers' eyes

Spondee:
Two stresses with equal weight

Trochee:
1. Heavy stress followed by a light stress
2. Good for starting a line

Dactyl:
Heavy stress followed by two light stresses

Anapest:
1. Two light stresses followed by one heavy stress
2. Uncommon

Caesura:
1. A structual a logical pause within the line
2. Can appear under a conversational tone

Tag:
1. Final light stress
2. Does not count as part of the metrical pattern

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