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shattered cadence

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A metrical technique that disrupts expected rhythmic patterns through abrupt pauses, irregular stresses, or syntactic fracture.

Detailed Definition
Shattered cadence describes a metrical or rhythmic pattern fractured by irregular stresses, pauses, or syntactic breaks to mirror psychological disarray, violence, or social rupture; this technique rejects smooth musicality in favor of discordant, halting speech that embodies trauma or instability.
Example
Example in poetry:
In T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land,” “I will show you fear in a handful of dust” uses shattered cadence through abrupt pause; Sylvia Plath’s “Ariel” breaks rhythm: “And I / Am the arrow”; In “Daddy,” Plath’s “Chuffing me off like a Jew” uses shattered cadence for traumatic effect; War poets like Wilfred Owen use shattered cadence to mirror battlefield chaos
Additional Notes
shattered cadence: A rhythmic effect where the expected flow or pattern of sound/stress is intentionally broken, often through irregular line breaks, punctuation, or metrical variation; conveys emotional or psychological instability.
Also Known As
Broken cadence fragmented rhythm shattered flow Broken meter
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