Why is rhythm used in poems?

Answer 1

to keep the audience's attention

Answer 2

Rhythm consists of patterns of stressed and unstressed sound, and of longer and shorter sounds and silences. Rhythm is one of the fundamental qualities of music. It also appears in speech.

Even ordinary speech contains stressed and unstressed sounds which form a pattern. Using capitals to show the stressed syllables, the rhythm of that last sentence is "EVen ORdiNAry SPEECH conTAINS STRESSED and UNstressed SOUNDS which FORM a PAttern." In English as in many other languages, stressed and unstressed sounds tend to alternate. The most common elements of rythmic pattern are groups of two, either STRONG-weak or weak-STRONG, either DUM-ti or ti-DUM. The DUM-ti rhythm is called trochee (tro-kay) and shows up in words like fortress, hamper, waddle and so on. When a whole bunch of words with this rhythm are strung together you get a verse in trochaic rhythm, such as "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin eater, had a wife and couldn't keep her." The ti-DUM rhythm is called iamb (I am), is used in words like behave, remind, device, and when strung together results in iambic verse like "The other night upon the stair I met a man who wasn't there."

Shakespeare wrote much of his dialogue in unrhymed verse consisting of five iambic units per line (this is called Blank Verse), such as:

"I here resign my government to thee

For thou art fortunate in all thy deeds"

(Henry VI Part III Act IV Scene 6)

Using bold lettering to show the stressed syllables, this reads:

I here resign my government to thee

For thou art fortunate in all thy deeds.

Answer 3

To create a beat using words in poems being spoken more softly or strongly than others. It gives poetry a cadence. Hope this helps! From a SABIS student!!

Answer 4

Rhythm is used in dance to keep in time with the music and to make the dance look more interesting. :)