Question

Scan the following passage and comment on their prosodic features:
Confusion shame remorse despair,
At once his bosom swelled
The damps of death bedewed his brow,
He shook, he groaned, he fell.

Answer 1

"Prosodic features" is a term that includes the phonological features of modulation, strain, and beat. These features are central to spoken and written communication in English and are different in English than in some other languages, say, for example, French, which does not have the syllabic stress elements that English has. To mention on the prosodic elements in the quoted lines, you will have to comment on where the pauses are to be; where the main stress of each line is to be; where linking occurs; and where intonation changes occur (intonation comprises pitch, loudness, and tempo).

To find the prosodic features of the quotation, you'll read it aloud for poetic rhythm. You'll find it is in the duple rhythm of iambs (x /): "Confusion shame remorse despair." Within the duple iambic framework, note where pauses occur. You'll note there are none within the first line, although there is a significant pause at the end of the first line, a pause that separates the first from the second line.

There would seem to be a rational link (no pause) between the second and third lines, yet, because a conjunction, like as, for, or because, has been omitted (i.e., At once his bosom swell as the damps ...), there is a pause between these lines.

Study now the main stress of each line. There is no main stress in the first line: the words in each iambic foot carry the same weight of stress. The iambs dictate three stresses in the second line, but which carries the main stress? It is usually the principle noun, in this case "bosom," that carries the main stress, although verbs, pronouns, adjectives and adverbs may also carry stress. In the third line, the noun "death" carries the main stress.

Inflection in the first line is unswerving as each iamb is accentuated in a pounding rhythm: the pitch, loudness and tempo are the same for all four feet of the tetrameter line. Modulation changes in the second and again in the third lines as the tempo speeds up, then slows, and as pitch and loudness increase for "bosom swells" and again for "death" in the final line.

Answer 2

Here are some points, to be written in the form of a paragraph. Here they are listed as points, for quick understanding.

1) Identify the type of text- To begin with, the lines are not part of a passage, but an extract from a poem. So, the lines make up a verse.
2)Examine the length of the lines and look for a pattern- The length of the lines varies. The first and the third lines have 8 syllables while the second and the third lines have 6 syllables. It can be concluded that the verse has alternately varying lines.
3)What about the metrical form of the poem? 2 syllables =1 meter. So, 8 syllables = 4 meters, which is called tetrameter. Similarly, 6 syllables in a line make up 3 meters, which is called trimeter.
4)Is it a specific pattern? A poem written in such a pattern, with alternate tetrameter (8) and trimeter (6) lines is said to be written in ‘common meter’.
5)Any clearly visible rhyme scheme? The rhyme scheme is abab. It contributes to how the verse sounds.
6)What about the tempo? The tempo helps a reader ‘feel’ the poem. So, it increases in the second line and reaches a climax with the word ‘swelled’.  In the third line, it begins to slow down and reaches a minimum at the end of the fourth line.