Resources about Rhythm

1. Snodgrass, WD. “The Use of Meter.” Southern Review. 1999.
The above source is a comprehensive review of the use of meter in poetry, written for a peer-reviewed journal. It provides an explanation of syllabic verse, along with a discussion of stress verse. It also discusses the restraints of structured meter in poetry, while acknowledging that it is still a very valid form of art. It gives a brief review of the different styles of different poets, and their style’s effectiveness in expression.

2. Smith, Vivion. “What is Poetry”. English Works!. 2 June 2001. English Tutoring and Writing Center. 21 June 2007. < http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/literature/poetry.htl >
This website is designed for students that need some tutoring in English, mainly the terms needed to understand writing in literature. The literary term rhythm is defined as “the repetition of stress within a poem. It is the entire movement or flow of the poem as affected by rhyme, stress, diction and organization” (Smith). The organization of the poems is effected by the different flow of verses, such the stanzas poetic unit with two lines that rhyme versus three lines. This is a credible website to visit if one needs to understand the different combinations of rhymes in a poem.

3. Keppel-Jones, David. Strict Metrical Tradition : Variations in the Literary Iambic Pentameter From Sidney and Spenser to Matthew Arnold. Montreal: McGill-Queen's UP, 2001. 23 June 2007 .
The main purpose of this website is provide information on metrical tradition. It focuses on different aspects of rhythm. The website defines the term rhythm as the beats in a line of verse that form a coherent group. The website describes analyzing texts using the literary term by paying attention to the beats in a sentence. An understanding of the literary term helps better understand the texts because you can identify when rhythm is being used. The website is credible because the author is clearly indicated.

4. Rhythm. Oxford English Dictionary. June 9, 2007.
1. The purpose of this website it to give a definition of the word “rhythm”.
2. The word is defined as, “Riming or rimed verse; a form or variety of this”
3. Rhythm is used in poetry to stress certain syllables or words to create a particular feeling or mood in a poem. It is also used to reinforce meaning in a poem.
4. The Oxford English Dictionary is a respected work. It is frequently used by students to look up the meaning of words, and is endorsed here at MCC as an acceptable dictionary and thereby found credible.

5. Evenski, Bill. "Lines and Rhymes: Rhythm." Poetry Basics. Angelfire.com. 17 June 2007 < http://www.angelfire.com/ct2/evenski/poetry/rhythm.html >.
The purpose of the website is to provide high school students and other interesed students and the public with information on poetry and its elements. Although, it is really a page created to provide the students with assignments as well as post up completed student assignments.
The website, however, provides, overall, an exceptional definiton of rhythm. Rhythm is actually defined in consideration to poetry. Excerpts from poems are used as examples to demonstrated rhythm, therefore, the websited would help in analyzing a selected poem. The page did help in understanding what rhythm is (in poetry), although, the website provided very little referenece to literary movements or significant aurthors during these movements, it provided a simple and comprehensive definition.
The credibility of the website relies on the facts provided, which are exceptional and not considered opions. The information provided also are from academic resources shared with college library databases, such as the Literature Resource Center. -D.R.

6. Lynch, Jack. “Rhythm.” Guide to Literary Terms. 25 June 2007 < http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Terms/rhythm.html >.
This website provides a guide to literary terms. Rhythm is defined as “the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of verse or prose." Regular rhythm is called meter. Emily Dickinson creates a continuous rhythm in “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” In each stanza, the first line has eight syllables; the second, six syllables; the third, eight syllables; and the fourth, six syllables. In each line, the first syllable is unstressed, the second is stressed, the third is unstressed, the fourth is stressed, and so on. Alliteration, rhyme, and repetition add to the rhythm of the poem. This is an educational website sponsored Rutger’s University.

7. 3 June 2008http://www.answers.com/topic/to-my-dear-and-loving-husband-poem. This is an all-in-one, easy to navigate website that provides everything you may need to interpret and understand a poem, including the rhythm, style etc. It is equipped with a contents and links for topics of further studies. It incorporates all aspects including the period, the literary theme, and the literary element. This is a very versatile and beneficial website, and has stuff about “Wikis” on the bottom, so it must be good.

8. "rhythm." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 5 June 2008 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9063491>.

This website is used to look up articles in the encyclopedia. It defines rhythm in poetry as the patterned recurrence of specific language features. Rhythm is often used to help trigger psychological thoughts and emotions. Rhythm is a necessity in most poetry and helps to add balance to writing. This site is used by students frequently and is very well known in the education community

9. “Rhythm (poetry).” Tiscali.reference. 10 June 2008. < http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0038985.html > This site defines rhythm as a “recurring stress pattern in poetry . . . or prose.” In poetry, rhythm is usually a set form. Even free verse will have a rhythm, which is typically more expressive than prose speech. Rhythm can be used to emphasize words or phrases or create emotional responses in the reader. The site is reliable, as it contains content from the National Curriculum in the United Kingdom. In addition to its educational curriculum it provides links to other literary terms.

10. “Rhythm.” Columbia Granger's World of Poetry Online. 2008. Columbia University Press. 18 Jun. 2008. <http://www.columbiagrangers.org>
This source defines the term as the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem and it also discusses the importance of rhythm. There is also an example taken from William Blake's "The Tyger." I find this source credible because it is run by Columbia University, which is a credible aademic institution.

11.Bedford, St. Martins. “Elements of Poetry.” Virtual Lit Interactive Poetry Tutor.18 June 2008. <http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/poetry/rhyme_def.html>. This website gives the definition of Rhythm as “two words that sound alike. The vowel sounds of the two words are alike, but the consonants are different.” Rhythm helps link one sentence to another linking the entire poem to one story. This website also goes on to explain the different places in a poem where rhythm can occur and the term for each. For example, internal rhyme functions within a line of poetry. There is a link at the bottom of this page to give you examples of Rhythms in poetry which helps to understand the concept. I really liked the fact that the examples were interactive so it makes you really think about what you are learning. I will use this information to find rhythms in the poetry I look up. Bedford St. Martins is a publishing house that publishes text for colleges and high schools which makes them a creditable source.
This article explains rhythm in poetry specifically. It says that it is a pattern of sounds and language features. Rhythm is essential to poetry, and is easily picked up on by the reader. Defining it can be difficult because it is very subjective and there is no standard. This source helped me to read through Bradstreet’s poetry and understand more about the structure and the sound. It is a credible source because it comes from an Encyclopaedia and is copyrighted.


13. "Rhythm," Dictionary.com, Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. 2008. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Rhythm>
I have used this site a lot in the past and find it to be a good source for getting basic definitions on words. The site combines serveral different dictionaries to give you different views on what the words mean. Because of this, I find it to be a credible web site because you have different opinions to choice from on the meaning, all of them being reliable sources.
According to the site, rhythm means: "a patterned repetition of a motif, formal element, etc., at regular or irregular intervals in the same or a modified form."


14. James, Schuyler. "Lines & Rhymes: Rhythm." Wheeler English. Feb. 2008. 16 June 2008 <http://www.angelfire.com/ct2/evenski/poetry/rhythm.html>. Here you will find the definition of what rhythm in poetry is. How to understand different rhythm schemes within a poem and hopefully if you already understand the content; it will help you gain a better understanding of the poem. Because there are many different rhythm schemes you really have to read closely to pick out the one in the poem that you are reading.

15. "Rhyme." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 2 Jun 2009, 15:56 UTC. 2 Jun 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rhyme&oldid=293967091>. WikiPedia, an online encyclopedia, features free articles that are strengthened through citation and peer review. This article, on rhyme, aims to help the reader to recognize it in its different forms and uses. It also describes how rhyme goes beyond the purpose of just sounding pleasant. The repetition of sound enforces the poem into memory, thus strengthening the message and helping it to last longer than regular prose. Rhyming is basically described as the rhyming of sounds, regardless of whether it occurs within the stresses of words or between entire lines of poetry. These concepts not only provide more insight into the poetry process, but they helped me to become more aware of distinctions like rhyme and meter. Now, when considering Enlightenment poets like Wheatley and Freneau, the repetition of the rhyme reflects the Enlightened principle of culturally acquired virtue and tastes. The Enlightenment poets appear, more or less, motivated to re-condition their society away from the institutional harms of the old world order. In other words, in the American Enlightenment era, many poets assumed the role of a cultural conditioner who speaks from a higher, rational emotion via a “freed” intellectualism. Even more important is how Wheatley, as a stereotyped minority, was able to use rhyme in western fashion to surpass the skill of many of the more "conventional" intellectuals of her time.

16. "Rhythm." Definr. Web. 12 Jun 2009. <http://definr.com/rhythm>.
This online dictionary defines rhythm as "the arrangement of spoken words alternating stressed and unstressed elements." Rhythm is very important in any piece of music, writing, or spoken word. It conveys meaning by setting a tone. A fast rhythm can convey happiness or a sense of urgency. A slow rhythm can convey sadness or calmness. Language in conjunction with rhythm forms poetry.


17. Radcliffe, Tom. “What is Poetry?” Enlightenment.supersaturated.com. 11 June 2009 http://enlightenment.supersaturated.com/essays/text/tomradcliffe/poemtheory.html.
This website is a great resource for information on the foundations of poetry. Radcliffe gives definitions and examples of many different styles to structure poems. The flow of the syllables, how many feet are in one line, the use for each technique, and the language used are all crucial parts to a poem. There are many aspects of poetry that go unspoken, are not even thought about, that are so important to fully understand the poem or it’s author. This website, again, is a great resource for that information.

18. "Literary Terms and Definitions R." Dr. Wheeler's Website. 12 June 2009 <http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_R.html>.
This site was created by a professor to help his writing and literature students at Carson-Newman College. It has a large database of literary terms and definitions. Rhythm is defined as “The varying speed, loudness, pitch, elevation, intensity, and expressiveness of speech, especially poetry. In verse the rhythm is normally regular; in prose it may or may not be regular”. When analyzing a text you should read it aloud to get a feel for the variation in speed and intensity. It is visible in “The Raven” through Poe’s expressiveness of speech. Understanding this literary term is helpful when reading “The Raven” more than The Deerslayer because it made it easier to discover the rhythm Poe created in “The Raven”. This source is credible because it is a professor’s site and he has taught many English courses. 21. Wheeler, Dr. L. Kip. “Literary Terms and Definitions.” Carson Newman College. 5 Jan 2009. http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_R.html

The purpose of this website is to provide readers with a glossary of literary terms. Rhythm comes from the Greek word meaning “flowing”. Wheeler defines rhythm as “the varying speed, loudness, pitch, elevation, intensity, and expressiveness of speech, especially poetry”. She explains how in verse, rhythm is normally regular but prose can be irregular. She then offers a link to sprung rhythm, which is an exception to the general rule. This website helps me understand literary terms as it provides examples and in depth definitions. This is a credible website.

22. “Rhythm.” 29 June 2009. <http://www.types-of-poetry.org.uk/81-rhythm.htm> The purpose of this website is to provide the definitions to many different types of poetic terms an poems. The website defines rhythm and gives examples to better understand it as well. The website also provides a definition of poetry as well as the explanation of the structure of poetry. After reading this article it is now easy to determine which types of poems use rhythm. There are many poems that use rhythm and the most that I found were love poems. After reading this article it is now easy to determine the poems that use rhythm and what the meaning is.