Scansion The Rules of Poetic Structure A look

Scansion The Rules of Poetic Structure

A look at structure… Whose woods these are I think I know His house is in the village though He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow

Metric Patterns - Meter u / u / Whose woods│these are │I think │I know u / u / His house │is in │the vil │lage though u / u / He will │not see │me stop │ping here u / u / To watch │his woods │fill up │with snow

Iambic and Trochaic • • Both have two syllables per foot Iambic – u / (away) – The fall / ing out / of faith / ful friends • Trochaic – / u (coming) – Double / double / toil and / trouble

Iambic and Trochaic Practice Identify each as iambic or trochaic 1. Sunday 8. birthday 2. correct 9. simple 3. believe 10. because 4. dispute 11. sister 5. convey 12. laughter 6. gather 13. music 7. relief 14. attack 15. Create two examples of Iamb. 16. Create two examples of Trochee.

Anapestic and Dactylic • • Both have three syllables per foot Anapestic – u u / (cannonade) – I am mon / arch of all / I survey • Dactylic – / u u (victory) – Take her up / tenderly

Anapestic and Dactylic Practice Identify each as anapestic or dactylic 1. fugitive 8. rhapsody 2. beautiful 9. lemonade 3. contradict 10. syllable 4. alkaline 11. arrogant 5. satisfy 12. indigo 6. understand 13. masquerade 7. disappear 14. interject 15. Create two examples of Anapest. 16. Create two examples of Dactyl.

Spondee and Pyrrhic • Rarely used • Spondee – / / • Pyrrhic – u u / / And the white breast of the dim sea

Metrical Feet 1 2 3 4 Whose woods│these are │I think │I know His house │is in │the vil │lage though He will │not see │me stop │ping here To watch │his woods │fill up │with snow

Metrical Feet • • One Foot Two Feet Three Feet Four Feet Five Feet Six Feet Seven Feet Eight Feet = Monometer = Dimeter = Trimeter = Tetrameter = Pentameter = Hexameter = Heptameter = Octameter

Metrical Feet 1. Once upon a midnight dreary 2. Leaf again, life again 3. Because I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped for me 4. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways 5. I am called to the front of the room

Metrical Feet • Once upon a midnight dreary – trochaic tetrameter • Leaf again, life again – dactylic dimeter • Because I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped for me – iambic heptameter

Metrical Feet • How do I love thee? Let me count the ways – iambic pentameter • I am called to the front of the room – anapestic trimeter

Other Metrical Terms Ø Amphibrach – A foot with unstressed, unstressed syllables ( U / U ) e. g. Chicago Ø Anàcrusis – An extra unaccented syllable at the beginning of a line before its regular meter begins – Mine / by the right / of the white / election Ø Amphimacer – A foot with stressed, unstressed, stressed syllables ( / U / ) e. g. attitude

Other Metrical Terms Ø Catalexis – – An extra, usually unaccented syllable at the ending of a line after its regular meter ends I’ll tell / you how / the sun / rose Ø Caesura – – A pause in the meter or rhythm of a line Flood-tide below me! || I see you face to face! Ø Enjambement – – A run-on line, continuing into the next without a grammatical break Green rustlings, more-than-regal charities coolly from that tower of whispered light Drift

Stanzas a series of lines in a poem, set apart much as a paragraph would be in an essay or narrative • • Couplet Tercet Quatrain Cinquain Sestet Septet Octet (Octave) X-lined stanza two lines three lines four lines five lines six lines seven lines eight lines nine or more lines