POETRY
Daniel Schulze
T.E. Hulme (1883-1917): Image
Old houses were scaffolding once
And workmen whistling.
T.E. Hulme (1883-1917): Image
Imagery
• • • • Something abstract is expressed through
something concrete
lat. imago = image
The concrete image (e.g. metaphor) is
decoded through language
Three levels of decoding:
1. linguistic-content level
2. visual-optical level
3. rhythmical-acoustical level
Features of Poetry
Rhyme
 Meter, feet (metrical length)
 Stanzas and verses
 Rhetorical figures
 Rhyme
“The formalized consonance of syllables”
J. A. Cuddon (ed.) (1998), The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and
Literary Theory, London: Penguin.
Book Recommendation
Types of Rhymes
See Reader!
 Some Examples:
full or perfect: fish/dish
rich or identical: designing/resigning
half or pararhyme: smiling/falling
eye rhyme: cough/dough
…
 Rhyme Patterns
See sheet at WüCampus!
 Examples:
pair rhyme (couplet): dog/frog
cross rhyme: cat/dog/bat/frog
arch rhyme: cat/dog/frog/bat
…
last syllable stressed (masculine)
last syllable unstressed (feminine)
 Meter
“(Gk ‘measure’) […] the pattern of stressed and
unstressed syllables in verse.”
(Cuddon 1998: 509)
Meter & Feet
Please see sheet at WüCampus!
 “Foot: a group of syllables forming a metrical unit
or unit of rhythm.” (Cuddon: 324)
 Examples: (x=stressed, o=unstressed)
Iamb: ox
trochee: xo
dactyl: xoo
anapest: oox
spondee: xx
dibrach: oo
 Example – S. T. Coleridge: Metrical Feet
Trochee trips from long to short.
From long to long in solemn sort
Slow spondee stalks, strong foot yet ill able
Ever to come up with the dactyl trisyllable.
Iambics march from short to long.
With a leap and a bound the swift anapests
throng.
(Cuddon: 510)
Example – S. T. Coleridge: Metrical Feet
Ťrochee trĭps from lŏng to shŏrt.
From lŏng to lŏng in sŏlemn sŏrt
Slŏw spŏndĕe stălks, strŏng fŏot yĕt ill ăble
Ĕver to cŏme up with the dăctyl trisŷllable.
Iămbics mărch from shŏrt to lŏng.
With a leăp and a boŭnd the swift ănapests
thrŏng.
(Cuddon: 510)
Stanza & Verse
Stanza: “A group of lines of verse. It may be of
any number but more than twelve is
uncommon.” (Cuddon: 863)
Verse: A line of metrical writing
Stanzas are composed of several verses (Note:
we do not speak of lines paragraphs or
anything alike when talking about poetry!)
William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
I wander’d lonely as a cloud (1804)
I wander’d lonely as a cloud
The waves beside them danced; but they
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A poet could not but be gay,
A host, of golden daffodils;
In such a jocund company:
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
I gazed – and gazed – but little thought
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
What wealth the show to me had brought:
Continuous as the stars that shine
For oft, when on my couch I lie
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They stretch’d in never-ending line
They flash upon that inward eye
Along the margin of a bay:
Which is the bliss of solitude;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
And dances with the daffodils.
I wander’d lonely as a cloud (1804)
Example Rhetorical Figures
Emiliana Torrini – Jungle Drum
Hey, I’m in love
My fingers keep on clicking to the beatin´ of
my heart.
Hey, I can’t stop my feet
Ebony and ivory and dancing in the street.
Hey, it’s cause of you
The world is in a crazy, hazy hue.
My heart is beatin´ like a jungle drum
dadatungatungatungtungtungtung
My heart is beatin´ like a jungle drum
dadatungatungatungtungtungtung
My heart is beatin´ like a jungle drum
Man, you got me burning
I’m the moment between the striking and
the fire.
Hey, read my lips
Cause all they say is kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss,
kiss.
No, it’ll never stop
My hands are in the air, yes I’m in love.
My heart is beating like a jungle
drum.rakatungtungrakatungonburubummb
ummbumm
My heart is beating like a jungle
drumdadatungatungatungtungtungtung
My heart is beating like a jungle
drumdadatungatungatungtungtungtung
My heart is beating like a jungle
drumdadatungatungatungtungtungtung
My heart is beating like a jungle drum
My heart is beating like a jungle drumMy
heart is beating like a jungle drumMy heart
is beating like a
junglerakatungtungrakatungonburubummb
ummbumm
Example Rhetorical Figures
Lady Gaga - Monster
Don't call me Gaga
I've never seen one like that before
Don't look at me like that
You amaze me
He ate my heart, he a-a-ate my heart
(You little monster)He ate my heart,
he a-a-ate my heart out
(You amaze me)
Ate my heart, he a-a-ate my heart
(Ah-ah-ah-ah-ha)
He ate my heart, he a-a-ate my heart out
(Ehi boy)
Look at him, look at me
That boy is bad, and honestly
He's a wolf in disguise
But I can't stop staring in those evil eyes,
evil eyes evvviiiilllll
I asked my girlfriend if she'd seen you round
before (oh, yeah) She mumbled something
while we got down on the floor, baby (aah)We
might've fucked, not really sure, don't quite
recall (oh, yeah) But something tells me that
I've seen him, yeahThat boy is a monster (mm-m-monster)That boy is a monster (m-m-mmonster)That boy is a monster (m-m-mmonster)That boy is a monster er er-er-er
Other Examples
“Everybody‘s got a hungry heart“ (Springsteen)
 “New blood joins the earth” (Metallica)
 “Deceit, deceive, decide just what you
believe” (Metallica)
 “I’m Jumping Jack Flash, it’s a gas! gas!
gas!” (Rolling Stones)
 “I need a dollar, a dollar is what I need.” (Aloe
Blacc)
 “keep the rhythm of a train rolling right along,
when the ride gets rough.” (Jeremy Kay)
 Homework
Study the section rhyme and rhetorical figures
in the reader!
 Find three rhetorical figures in some of your
favourite songs! (no metaphors)
