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{{comic
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{{ComicHeader|79|March 22, 2006}}
| number    = 79
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| date      = March 22, 2006
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[[File:Iambic pentameter.jpg]]
| title    = Iambic Pentameter
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| image    = iambic_pentameter.jpg
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== Image Text ==
| titletext = Of course, you don't wanna limit yourself to the strict forms of the meter. That could get pretty difficult.
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Of course, you don't wanna limit yourself to the strict forms of the meter. That could get pretty difficult.
}}
 
  
 
==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
In this part of the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby series]], the hobby is responding to casual questions using {{w|iambic pentameter}}. Iambic pentameter is a form of poetic verse defined by the number of syllables per line. In this form, a line contains exactly five (penta means five in Greek) "{{w|Iamb (foot)|iambs}}" per line. An iamb is a unit of two syllables with the stress falling on the second. The actual breakup of the words is unimportant; the definition is based solely on the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. One line of strict iambic pentameter will have ten syllables, with the stress falling on the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, and last.
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[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iambic_pentameter Iambic Pentameter] (origin Latin) is an art of composing prose common to the much more known [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/haiku Haiku]. In spite of Haiku, the simple rule of Iambic Pentameter is that you write no more, no less than five (penta means five in Latin) iambs per line, an iamb being an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one. The responses given in the comic are each one line visually broken into two for space reasons. They should read:
 
 
In this comic, [[Cueball]] (i.e. [[Randall]] - the one with the hobby) is replying to his friend's questions. (The friend also looks like Cueball, but are here differentiated by who has the hobby.) Cueball's responses are each one line of iambic pentameter, just visually broken into two lines for space reasons. They read (adding the emphasis):
 
:"Well, '''I''' can '''meet''' the '''plane''' at '''ten''' of '''six'''" and
 
:"I'll '''meet''' him '''at''' the '''stairs''' be'''fore''' the '''gate'''"<div>
 
with a sort of bouncing rhythm.
 
  
{{w|Shakespeare}} was one of the most famed users of iambic pentameter in his plays. This is the "strict form" of iambic pentameter. In practice, poets often strayed from the strict count of iambs as the image text suggests. Wikipedia offers two Shakespearian examples being "Now is the winter of our discontent," in which the first iamb is reversed ("Now" is stressed rather than "is"), and "To be or not to be, that is the question," which adds an extra unstressed syllable at the end. As the comic suggests in the title text, without such exceptions, it can be very difficult to stick to strict iambic pentameter for every sentence.
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“Well, I can MEET the PLANE at TEN of SIX” and “I’ll MEET him AT the STAIRS beFORE the GATE”
  
==Transcript==
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[[Cueball]]'s hobby is speaking in this prose, hence, he uses five iambs per line in the above comic.  
:[Two identical Cueballs are having a conversation. The latter is identified as Cueball, since he represents Randall who has the Hobby.]
 
:Friend: What time can you pick Michael up?
 
:Cueball: Well, I can meet the plane at ten of six.
 
:Friend: Do you know where to find him?
 
:Cueball: I'll meet him at the stairs before the gate.
 
:[Below the two Cueballs are the following text:]
 
:My hobby: answering casual questions in iambic pentameter.
 
  
==Trivia==
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The image text warns you that answering every question by using this art form can become difficult.
Iambs and other types of poetry "{{w|Foot (prosody)|feet}}" are the subject of [[1383: Magic Words]].
 
  
{{comic discussion}}
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{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
 
[[Category:My Hobby]]
 
[[Category:Language]]
 
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]
 

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