Meter is the technical term for the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry. Some poems, especially older ones like the Frost poem above, follow very strict rhythmical patterns.
Poetry Analysis Guided Drafts WS: Sound
Try reading the poem out loud to consider how its sounds make readers feel and impact the poem’s meaning.
Here are some common sounds to look for as evidence.
Consonant Sounds
Sometimes poets repeat consonant sounds close together. This is called consonance. One common type of consonance is alliteration, which is when consonant sounds repeat at the beginning of words.
Take a look at these examples from “Drum Dream Girl” by Margarita Engle. Notice how the repeated consonant sounds mimic the sound of drumming:
Her hands seemed to fly
as they rippled
rapped
and pounded
all the rhythms
of her drum dreams.
Rhyme and Assonance
Words rhyme when their ending sounds are the same. For example, “beat” and “meet” rhyme.
Assonance is a type of rhyme that happens when words close together contain the same vowel sounds. For example, “beat” and “team” have assonance because they contain the same vowel sound, but they end in different sounds.
Take a look at these lines from “Harlem Hopscotch” by Maya Angelou, in which the highlighted rhyming “ow” sounds create a rhythm that reminds readers of jumping:
Cross the line, they count you out.
That’s what hopping’s all about.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia means using words that, when read aloud, sound like the sound they describe.
In this example from “Drum Dream Girl” by Margarita Engle, the highlighted words mimic the sounds of different birds, allowing readers to hear these sounds just like the girl in the poem does:
she heard the whir of parrot wings
the clack of woodpecker beaks
Rhythm
Rhythm refers to the beat of a poem. Poets can use rhythm to stir up certain emotions in readers or to emphasize ideas.
Take a look at this example from “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
As you read the poem out loud, notice how each unstressed (gray) syllable is followed by a stressed (bold) syllable. This steady, predicable pattern imitates the sound of footsteps and creates a soothing, sleepy feeling.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Tip!
- Angelou, Maya. “Harlem Hopscotch.” Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ’fore I Diiie, Random House, 1971.
- Engle, Margarita. “Drum Dream Girl.” Poetry Foundation, poetryfoundation.org/poems/141837/drum-dream-girl. Originally published in Drum Dream Girl, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015.
- Frost, Robert. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Poets.org. American Academy of Poets, poets.org/poem/stopping-woods-snowy-evening. Originally published in New Hampshire, Henry Holt, 1923.