Rhythm, Meter and Scansion Notes
I.
Repetition
A. The poet achieves mustical ability in two broad ways:
i. By the choice and arrangement of sounds
ii. By the arrangement of accents
B. Repetition and variation comprise all things humans enjoy
i. “The compser of music, therefore, repeats certain musical tones;
repeats them in certain combinations, or chords; and repeats them
in certain patterns, or melodies.”
C. Why use repetition?
i. It’s pleasing to the ear
ii. To emphasize words on which repetition occurs
iii. Gives structure to a poem
**Types of repetition: alliteration, assonance, consonance
Or, in rhyme:
-Masculine: one syllable (decks & sects)
-Feminine: 2+ syllables (turtle & fertile)
-Internal: within the line
-End: at the end of the line (surprise!!)
-Slant rhyme: almost rhymes (lightly & frightful; yellow &
willow)
II.
Rhythm
A. Definition: wavelike recurrence of motion or sound; everyday speech has
an ordinary rhythm, but in the instance of poetry or rap music, it is
pronounced
B. Polysyllabic words have 1 stressed syllable and 1 or more unstressed
syllable (today, tomorrow, YESterday)
C. The rhythm of poetry usually occurs at regular intervals.
i. Like prose, the rhythmic effects depends almost entirely on what a
statement means (rhetorical stresses)
ii. “We must be able to recognize the meaning of a line of poetry before
we can determine its rhythm”
D. Pauses also affect rhythm (end stopped vs. run-on lines; use of caesuras)
III.
Meter – what we ‘tap our feet to’; it’s a unit of measure
A. To measure verse, we’ll use the foot and the line
B. Foot = basic unit; 1 foot = 1 stressed and 1+ unstressed syllables
i. To determine which syllable in a foot is accented requires
comparing its sound with other syllables within the foot
ii. Terminology:
1. Breve (u) is the unstressed mark
2. Ictus (/) is the stressed mark
3. Use a vertical bar to divide feet ( | )
iii. What are the most popular rhythms?
1. Iambic
2. Anapestic
3. Trochaic
4. Dactylic (RARE…said to be of museum quality)
5. Spondaic (usually occurs as a substitution)
6. Pyrrhic (researchers have found about 2 instances in poetry)
IV.
Scansion (determining those markings)
A. Step 1: Read the poem normally, like prose. Listen to natural accents.
Beat time with the hand.
Tip: Pick a line that has a nice flow. It will be easy to map
B. Step 2: Count the syllables in the line. Divide by 2 or 3.
i. 10 syllables can be divide by 2, so you have pentameter
ii. 12 syllables…oh no!!! You could have hexameter or tetrameter.
Keep listening for advice on how to solve this.
C. Step 3: Determine feet. If your line divided easily, such as the 10 syllable
line, just make 5 divisions, with 2 syllables per foot.
i. Decide which syllable receives more stress. Follow the natural
accents on words.
1. Tip (but not ‘gospel’): sometimes, a noun receives more
stress than an adjective that modifies it
ii. Do you have a wonky 2 or 3 syllable foot??? This will take some
manipulation.
1. Tap your foot or hand as you read the line aloud.
2. Try reading the line with different types of scansion in
mind…does iambic work? Does anapestic work better?
3. Tip: Look for feminine endings. The last syllable is always
UNSTRESSED. This can help you make a decision.