UNDERSTANDING

2. Metter and
rhythmASSIGNED BY:
Sir Arfan Lodhi
PRESENTED BY,
AHMAD ZAFAR & M. FAYYAZ

3. Definition of
meter Meter is the rhythm of syllables in a
line of verse or in a stanza of a poem.
 It is a poetic device that serves as a
linguistic sound pattern for the verses, as it
gives poetry a rhythmical and melodious
sound.

4.  In traditional English poetry, meter has
two main parts.
The first part is the number of syllables
in each line.
The second part is which syllables sound
stronger than others.

5.  Because it depends on both of these
factors, English poetry is often called
accentual-syllabic verse.

6. Foot
 Foot is the basic unit of
measurement of accentual-syllabic
meter.
 A meter contains a sequence of several
feet, where each foot has a number of
syllables such as stressed/unstressed.

7. Types of meter
 Iambic
 Trochaic
 Anapestic
 Dactylic
 Spondee
 Pyrrhic

8. Iambic
A foot which starts with an unaccented and ends
with an accented (stressed) syllable. It is the most
common meter in the English Language and
naturally falls into everyday conversation.
 (e.g. describe, Include, retract)

9. Trochiaic
A foot (opposite of an iambic meter) that
begins with an accented then followed by an
unaccented syllable.
( e.g. picture, flower)

10. Anapestic
 A foot which has two unaccented syllables
followed by an accented syllable.
(e.g. comprehend com-pre-hend)

11. Dactylic
A foot including an accented syllable followed
by two unaccented syllables.
(e.g. annotate an-no-tate)

12. Spondee
A foot consisting of two accented syllables.
(e.g. e-nough)

13. pyrrhic
Two unstressed syllables together.
(rare, usually used to end dactylic
hexameter)

14. Subdivisions of
Meter
Meter has two subdivisions:
 Qualitative Meter
 Quantitative Meter.

15. Qualitative Meter
 It contains stressed syllables with
regular intervals such as
iambic pentameter containing even
numbered syllables.

16. Quantitative Meter
It is based on syllabic weight, and not stressed
patterns such as dactylic hexameters of
classical Greek and classical Latin, however,
 classical Arabic and Sanskrit also have used
this meter. Poets like Virgil used quantitative
meter in Aeneid and Homer in Iliad.

17. Function of Meter
 Playwrights as well as prose writers often
use it to heighten the dramatic quality of
the work, adding enchantment, mystery
and emotion to their language.
 Its basic function is to provide rhythm,
uniformity and give a rounded and well-
formed structure to the poetic work. It
makes the tone of a language more lyrical.

18. Rhythm
 In literature, rhythm is the pattern of stressed and
unstressed beats.
most commonly found in poetry, though it is also
present in some works of drama and prose.
 The rhythm of a poem can be analyzed through the
number of lines in a verse, the number of syllables in
the line, whether they are accented or unaccented.

19. History of word rhythm
 The word rhythm is derived
from rhythmus (Greek) which means,
“measured motion”. Rhythm is a literary
device which demonstrates the long and
short patterns through stressed and
unstressed syllables particularly
in verse form.

20. Relationship
b/w Meter and Rhythm
Rhythm is also closely associated
with meter, which identifies units of
stressed and unstressed syllables.
When an author combines metrical
units into a pattern, he or she creates
rhythm.

21. Function of Rhythm
 The use of rhythm in poetry arises from the
need that some words are to be produced
more strongly than others.
 The repeated use of rhythmical patterns of
such accent produces rhythmical effect which
sounds pleasant to the mind as well as to the
soul.

22. Any Question ?