What Is the Meter of a Poem?
The arrangement of poetry includes a very deliberate choice made by the poet. Things such as rhythm and meter help to create the best poem possible. Understanding meter can help you to better understand poetry.
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Definition
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The meter of a poem contains a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. A stressed syllable provides more vocal emphasis, whereas unstressed has little emphasis when spoken.
Division
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Meters are broken into feet. A foot describes a pair of unstressed and stressed syllables in a line of poetry.
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Feet Explanation
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The five types of feet in poetry include the iamb or unstressed then stressed syllables, the trochee; stressed then unstressed syllables, the spondee which includes stressed and stressed syllables, the anapest; unstressed, unstressed, then stressed syllables and the dactyl; made up of stressed syllables followed by two unstressed syllables.
Line Length
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Line lengths are also important. Lines can range from one foot, known as monometer, to eight feet, known as octameter and above.
Style Differences
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Poetry meters can include any combination of counts. Shakespeare was famed for writing iambic pentameter, while Robert Frost tended to scatter different meter counts throughout his poetry.
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Resources
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