Poetry meter - should you care?

Meter is a way of measuring a line of poetry based on the rhythm of the words. But why should you care?

• As a reader, knowing about meter helps you understand how a poem is put together. You can see what rules the poet was following and how he or she used or went outside those rules. This lets you guess what was going through the poet's mind.
  
  
• As a poet, knowing about meter will make you a better poet. First, it helps you understand what poets have done in the past, so that you can learn from them. It allows you to use traditional forms such as sonnets. Even if you prefer to write in free verse, you should learn about traditional forms. Being aware of traditions gives you more flexibility to use aspects of them when you want to, or to "break the rules" in a more interesting way.
  

That being said, many people - accomplished poets included - find the entire subject of 'poetry meter' intimidating. When discussions of 'meter' extend to include 'feet' and then such esoteric terms as 'trochee', 'dactyl' and the dreaded 'iambic pentameter' - it is not uncommon for quite reasoning minds to begin to shut down.



If you are still with me, I will attempt to de-mystify the subject in the following 'Meter Workshop' posts - although I make no claim to any great expertise on the topic. I will begin with a discussion of the basic building blocks of 'meter' in the English language - syllables and stresses - before moving on to more detailed descriptions of the more common forms, giving examples along the way.