The document discusses rhythm in poetry through meter and scansion. It describes common poetic feet like iambic, trochaic, anapestic, and dactylic. It also discusses common line types such as monometer, dimeter, trimeter, tetrameter, and pentameter. The document provides examples of scanning poems line by line to identify the meter and feet. It demonstrates how scanning an A.E. Housman poem identifies it as iambic tetrameter.

1. Rhythm
Meter and Scansion of
Poetry

2. Types of Feet
• Iambic • Whose woods/
these are/ I think/
I know
• Trochaic • Tyger,/ Tyger,/
burning/ bright
• Anapestic
• Anniver/sary
Waltz
• Dactylic • Dracula,/ count of
the/ darkness

3. Types of lines
• Monometer one • Trimeter,
foot tetrameter and
• Dimeter two feet pentameter are the
• Trimeter three feet most common.
• Tetrameter four • Tetrameter can
also be called
feet
quadrameter
• Pentameter five
• Blank verse is
feet
unrhymed iambic
• Hexameter six pentameter.
feet
• Octameter eight
feet

4. Let’s try Scanning
Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for eastertide.

5. Scanning
Loveliest/ of trees, /the cher/ry now
Is hung/with bloom/along/the bough
And stands/about/the wood/land ride
Wearing/white for/easter/tide.

6. Scanning
Loveliest/ of trees, /the cher/ry now
Is hung/with bloom/along/the bough
And stands/about/the wood/land ride
Wearing/white for/easter/tide.
1 Dactyl, iamb, iamb, iamb 2 four iambs
3 four iambs 4 three trochees and an extra stress

7. Scanning
Loveliest/ of trees, /the cher/ry now
Is hung/with bloom/along/the bough
And stands/about/the wood/land ride
Wearing/white for/easter/tide.
Iambic tetrameter

8. Scan the next stanza
Now of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score
It only leaves me fifty more

9. Describe the rhythm
Now of/ my three/score years/and ten,
Twenty/will not/ come a/gain,
And take/from sev/enty springs/a score
It on/ly leaves/me fif/ty more

10. Describe the rhythm
Now of/ my three/score years/and ten,
Twenty/will not/ come a/gain,
And take/from sev/enty springs/a score
It on/ly leaves/me fif/ty more
1 iambic tetrameter 2 trochaic tetrameter with stress
only on last foot 3 iambic tetrameter with 3rd foot
anapestic 4 iambic tetrameter.

11. You can feel changes in
rhythm
• Although getting good at scanning
takes a lot of practice and comes to
very few people easily, you can
easily hear changes in rhythm.
• Compare the two versions of various
poems on the next few screens. I’ll
bet you can tell when the rhythm has
been ruined.

12. Which one is the original
She dwelt among She dwelt among
untrodden ways untrodden ways
Beside the blue
Beside the springs
waters of Dove.
of Dove.
A Maid whom there
were none to A Maid whom
praise there were none
And very few to love. to praise
And very few to
love.

13. Answer
• The one on the right.

14. Which one is the
original?
Nature’s first green is Nature’s first green is
gold gold,
Her hardest hue to Her most difficult hue
hold. to keep hold of.
Her early leaf’s a Her early leaf’s a
flower; flower;
But only so an hour. But only so an hour.

15. Answer
• The one on the left.

16. Which one is the
original?
Tyger, Tyger Tyger, Tyger
burning bright. burning bright
In the forests of In the woods of
the night the night

17. Answer
• The one on the left.

18. Which one is the
original?
Knives can harm Knives can harm
you, heaven you, heaven
forbid; forbid;
Axes may disarm Axes may disarm
you, kid; you, kid;
Guillotines really Guillotines are
hurt, but painful, but
There’s nothing There’s nothing
like a paper cut! like a paper cut!

19. Answer
• The one on the right.

20. Which one is the
original?
I cannot dance I cannot dance
upon my toes upon my toes
No teacher No man instructed
instructed me. me
But often, in my But oftentimes,
imagination among my mind
A Glee possesses A Glee possesses
me. me.

21. Answer
• The one on the right.