Prosody

For extra credit, you may write a three-to-five page paper--formatted according to MLA style--analyzing the prosody of the poem you've memorized for class. (I'll have links to MLA style requirements and sample discussions of prosody soon.)

Prosody is, according to M. H. Abrams, "the systematic study of versification in poetry; that is, a study of the principles and practice of meter, rhyme, and stanza forms. Sometimes the term 'prosody' is extended to include also the study of speech-sound patterns and effects such as alliteration, assonance, euphony, and onomatopoeia" (247). For this assignment, you should think of prosody in the extended sense: Prosody names all aspects of the relationship between sound and meaning in a poem.

Your paper, then, should focus exclusively on the poem's sound: What is the sound of the poem? How is that effect achieved? Speculate why the poet might've made such choices. For this paper, you'll want to avoid, for the most part, talking about things like symbols, metaphors, or similes--the entire point of the assignment is to think seriously about the music of poetic language.

This extra-credit paper will count for up to 10% of your overall grade. It is due by Friday, March 19.

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Page created 1.26.2004.