Structure, Form, Rhythm, Meter

• What does this guide go beyond in terms of expectations?

  GCSE English Literature specification
• Why might this guide be useful for grade 7/8/9 students?

  It provides useful points and context
• What is the main confusion addressed in the introduction?

  Between structure and form
• How does the structure of a poem relate to its thematic content?

  It mirrors or juxtaposes the thematic content
• What is the purpose of a poet using structure in their writing?

  To emphasize points and messages
• What are the individual patterns in poetry called?

  Meters
• What do meters consist of in poetry?

  Combinations of unstressed and stressed syllables
• How can you identify stressed syllables in a poem?

  By emphasizing them when reading aloud
• What do the bolded letters in "Hickory Dickory Dock" represent?

  Stressed syllables
• What is the first type of meter mentioned?

  da-da-DA
• What is the second type of meter mentioned?

  DA-da-da
• What is the most common form of meter in poetry?

  da-DA
• Which famous playwright used da-DA meter in all his works?

  Shakespeare
• What is the fourth type of meter mentioned?

  DA-da
• Why might a poet change the meter in their poem?

  To emphasize important meanings
• What should you look for in a poem with a consistent meter?

  Sudden breaks in meter
• What can assigning a specific meter to a character reveal?

  Details about the character
• What meter does Shakespeare often apply to wealthy characters?

  Iambic pentameter
• How does meter affect the sound of poetry when read aloud?

  It creates a steady rhythmic pattern
• How can manipulating meter create different tones in poetry?

  By creating melancholic or upbeat feelings
• What does poetic form describe?

  • Set of rules a poem follows
  • Number of lines and stanza lengths
  • Rhyming scheme used by the poet
  • Thematic elements included
• What is the most famous type of poetic form?

  The sonnet
• What differentiates types of sonnets?

  Stanza length and rhyming scheme
• Who introduced the Italian/Petrarchan sonnet?

  Francesco Petrarch
• How many lines does the Italian/Petrarchan sonnet have in its first stanza?

  Eight lines (octet)
• What is the common rhyme scheme for the sestet in an Italian sonnet?

  CDECDE or CDCCDC
• What typically occurs after the eighth line of an Italian sonnet?

  A volta (shift in tone)
• How did Shakespeare adapt the Petrarchan sonnet?

  By using three quatrains and a couplet
• What is the rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet?

  ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
• What meter does Shakespeare often use in his sonnets?

  Iambic pentameter
• What did John Milton decide regarding sonnets?

  To stop using the sonnet form regularly
• What is the rhyme scheme of a Spenserian sonnet?

  ABAB BCBC CDCD EE
• What do poets often use sonnets for?

  To use a traditional structure
• What theme is often associated with Petrarchan sonnets?

  Love poetry
• What concept did Petrarch explore regarding poetry?

  Art forms outlive their creators
• What is a Villanelle?

  • A French poetic form
  • Five stanzas of three lines
  • Concluding quatrain
  • Repeats first and third lines alternately
• What is the rhyme scheme of a traditional ballad?


  ABCB
• What distinguishes traditional folk ballads from literary ballads?

  Origin and communication method
• What is blank verse?

  Unrhymed iambic pentameter
• How many syllables are in each line of blank verse?

  Ten syllables