Iambic Pentameter
Assignment: Rewrite a verse of your favorite song into iambic pentameter!
Understanding Iambic Pentameter:
When we speak, our syllables are either stressed (stronger emphasis) or unstressed (weaker emphasis). For example, the word remark consists of two syllables. "Re" is the unstressed syllable, with a weaker emphasis, while "mark" is stressed, with a stronger emphasis.
When we speak, our syllables are either stressed (stronger emphasis) or unstressed (weaker emphasis). For example, the word remark consists of two syllables. "Re" is the unstressed syllable, with a weaker emphasis, while "mark" is stressed, with a stronger emphasis.
- Foot: a group of two or three syllables
- Iamb: a specific foot: one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
- Pent means five, so a line of iambic pentameter consists of five iambs – five sets of unstressed syllables followed by stressed syllables.
Eminem-ic Pentameter!
"Lose Yourself"
There are varying lengths of syllables but here is to show you iambs!
The verse below starts at :54 seconds and ends about 1:19.
His PALMS are SWEATy, KNEES weak, ARMS are HEAVy
There's VOmit ON his SWEATer alREADy, mom's spaGHETTi
He's NERVous, but ON the SURFace he LOOKS calm and READy
To DROP BOMBS, but HE keeps ON forGETtin
What HE wrote DOWN, the WHOLE crowd GOES so LOUD
He OPens his MOUTH, BUT the WORDS won't come OUT
He's CHOKin, how EVeryBODy's JOKin NOW
The CLOCK'S run OUT, TIME'S up OVer, BLOah!
Macklemore "Thrift Shop" rewritten in iambic pentameter!
