The Sounds of Poetry Ch 4-5 Summary

Nicholas Faller

March 13, 2017

In chapter four, Pinsky begins a discussion about like and unlike sounds. Pinsky claims that the varying

degrees of similarity and difference between words play a vital role in poetrys composion. He says that

repetition provides the greatest degree of similarity between sounds, while rhyme fuses elements of like

and unlike sounds. Paralleling the relationships between line and syntax, and accent and duration, likeness

and difference are a matter of degree, lending incredible expression to a poem through varying levels of

rhyme. Even in unrhymed poems, the reader notes the repetition of consonant or vowel sounds as a

cohesive element in the work, creating unity while avoiding the singing quality that true rhymes have on a

verse.

Pinsky also notes another kind of likeness in poetry primarily concerned with the origins and usage of

particular words. While certain sounds may be physically similar, some sounds may be more abstract or

concrete than others creating a sense of emotional contrast. Furthermore, the words may be paired

according to Latin or Germanic origin and, as a result, call upon the history and evolution of the English

language. Furthermore, having end rhymes between words with contrasting origins (Latin, French,

Germanic) creates an even greater sense of character and as well a noticeable tension between similarity

and difference.

In chapter five, Pinsky closes the book on the topic of free verse and blank verse poetry. Blank verse is

defined as a poem with unrhymed lines based on a repeating of five iambic feet per line and is the most

predominant form of English poetry. Free verse poetry, which breaks free of any restrictions , was used to

bring about a renewed level of expressiveness and interest to poetry. However, the pentameter used in

blank verse can be seen in writing of all kinds, even free prose, and is essential to the comprehension of

free verse poetry.

 Pentameter is not always obvious in its layout. It can often be seen in the addition of several different

metrical structures (3+2, 4+1) in an effort to create more rhythmic interest and complexity, while still

maintaining the regular five foot pattern. Pinsky claims that while pentameter has the potential to be

monotonous, the best writers of free verse poetry had also mastered the composition of blank verse.

Pinsky then goes on to say that a thorough knowledge of pentameter makes it easier to hear how free

verse poets avoid these patterns and therefore, provides a more complete understanding of the poetry

itself. Despite the movement away from blank verse poetry, traces of iambic pentameter can still be heard

in the rhythm of pauses, combination of long and short units and iambic rhythms. The cadence of these

blank verse rhythms creates a sense of verse and, as a result, free verse reflects ideas of both prose and

poetry.

Pinsky closes the chapter by saying that the rhythms, rhymes, and recurrent sounds of poetry are

intrinsically linked to memory. While blanks verse and free verse are less easily memorized than end

rhymed verse, the cadences and patterns can be found in all types of verse and link the ideas of memory,

human intelligence, and spoken language, allowing us to retain knowledge itself.