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The pleasure of poetic pattern - David Silverstein

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Humans are creatures of rhythm and repetition. From our breath to our gait: rhythm is central to our experience, and often brings us pleasure. We can find pleasure in the rhythm of a song, or even the rows of an orchard. Of course, too much repetition can also backfire. David Silverstein describes what poetic repetition is and why it works.

Additional Resources for you to Explore

Repetition is often used to create poetic intensity. This link offers a definition of repetition as a poetic term. Interested in finding out more?Take a look at this post: Repetition in Poetry: The Many Ways to Create Poetic Intensity. 

William Shakespeare employed many more literary devices when writing his works. Visit this site and learn more about them. The TED Ed lesson Why Shakespeare loved iambic pentameter - David T. Freeman and Gregory Taylor provides further some great insight into the bard's poetic skills.  

Love poetry? TED Ed is a great place to start! Check out: A poetic experiment: Walt Whitman, interpreted by three animators by Justin Moore, Become a slam poet in five steps by Gayle Danley, and The poet who painted with his words by Geneviève Emy.

Finally, TED has a complete list of all the TED Talks that involve poetry to inspire and inform.  

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator David Silverstein
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Director Avi Ofer
  • Animator Avi Ofer
  • Composer Stephen LaRosa
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

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