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March 3, 2011
Professor Bassett
LCS 352 Exam #1
Part I:
-Philip Sydney
In the poem above, by Philip Sydney, the dominant meter encountered is iambic
poem. Expressive variation is used in two instances: in the second line of the first stanza, and
the second line of the third stanza, where the use of trochaic meter is present. The two instances
of the intentional departure from the pattern of the poem are used for a specific effect, as well as
influencing the poem’s meaning via rhythm change. In the second line of the first stanza, the
effect of the change from iambs to trochees, then back to iambs, could possibly symbolize the
exchange of hearts (love) between the lovers. Considering the fact that expressive variation
produces emphasis, Philip Sydney is attempting to set apart this line, stressing the importance of
the exchange of hearts, amongst lovers, has on the rhythm and meaning of the poem. Expressive
variation can be found in the second line of the third stanza as well. In this instance, the
departure from the standard pattern of the poem creates a similar effect as in the second line of
the first stanza. However, instead of the change from iambs to trochees and back to iambs
representing the exchange of hearts, this occasion signifies that they both received a wounded
heart. As mentioned earlier, expressive variation is the intentional departure from the pattern of
the poem, I believe Philip Sydney uses expressive variation in this instance to produce emphasis
on the wounded hearts. The intentional departure from the pattern of the poem could have been
possibly used to symbolize the intentional damage accomplished by one of the lovers to the
other. In addition, the intentional change from iambs to trochees then back to iambs might also
indicate that the author wants a change in the relationship. Philip Sydney integrates two
instances of expressive variation in the poem to provide symbolism as well as set apart and
produce emphasis on the two lines that contain the intentional departure from the main pattern of
the poem.
For the most part, Philip Sydney’s poem has a clear, discernable rhythm. In this poem,
the source of rhythm is meter, and the use of accents, in addition to syntactic enjambment, has a
strong effect on how the poem moves and provides a steady, consistent rhythm. Sydney utilizes
both end rhyme and half rhyme in the poem. For end rhyme, the last word of each line contains
rhymed vowels with an alternating line and can be found in the first stanza, the second and fourth
lines in the second stanza, and the third stanza as well. The employment of end rhyme by
Sydney constructs order, control, and focus to the poem, additionally drawing the language of
the poem together. Half rhyme is utilized in the poem and can be found in the second stanza, the
first and third lines. In a few instances, the last word at the end of a line has a rhyming
consonant as that of an alternating line. Making use of end rhyme and half rhyme, combined
with iambic pentameter and expressive variation, Philip Sydney is able to create movement of
Part II:
In Linda Gregg’s free verse poem “Kept Burning and Distant,” contains a few different
elements that influence the rhythm of the poem. In a free verse poem, the emotional situation
governs the rhythm with emotional dynamics creating movement in order to counteract the fact
that there is not a consistent pattern of accented and unaccented syllables (meter). The first
element of Gregg’s poem is lineation. The lineation of this poem is both syntactic and counter-
syntactic, which are two types of enjambment. Enjambment is the continuation of a sentence
from one line to another and the use of it, or lack of it, has a strong effect on how the poem
moves. Gregg employs enjambment in lines six and seven to add emphasis to the word at the
end of each sentence. For example, line six ends with the word ‘leaves’. The word ‘leaves’ at
the end of the line literally means leaves on a tree. Gregg uses counter-syntactic lineation to
draw attention to what is being said in that specific line. The added emphasis to the word
‘leaves’ foreshadows the ending of the poem, where Linda wakes up under the tree alone after
sex, thus foreshadowing that her sexual partner is going to leave her under the tree on ‘leaves’
after sex. Therefore, the rhythm of the poem is affected by the element of lineation through
enjambment.
An additional element that influences the rhythm of the poem is punctuation. For the
reason that punctuation establishes the pace of the poem, this poem contains a few punctuation
marks signaling for breaks or pauses. The periods and commas included in the poem, signaling
for a break or pause, slow the pace down significantly. Gregg uses commas to create rhythm and
structure in the free verse poem, as well as to help the poem move forward. In addition to the
effects of punctuation on rhythm, the punctuation symbolizes the story of the poem, about the
two lovers being separated or ‘distant’. Thus, the punctuation in Gregg’s poem is critical to the
rhythm of the poem. A further element that influences the rhythm of the poem is sound. Gregg
uses repetition in the words rain and tender, possibly to convey a message of her human
experience and “emotional situation”. Gregg has no control as to when her lover comes and
goes, similarly to rain and the inability to control it. Thus, the repetition of rain is used to as a
form of symbolism and sound in order to help the poem move forward. Therefore, punctuation