This document discusses scansion, or the analysis of poetic meter and rhythm. It begins by explaining some basic rhythmic concepts like meter, feet, and accent. It then provides examples of common poetic meters like iambic, trochaic, and dactylic. The document encourages exploring different combinations of feet and meters to analyze sample lines. Finally, it assigns students to design their own poetic form with specific rules around rhyme, stanzas, and rhythm.

1. Scansion to help you win the affections of your heartthrobBa-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump

2. Scansion: the rhythm of poetryAs beat is to music, rhythm is to poetry. All life on earth is rhythmic. Make a list of rhythms you can think of: lunar phases, tides, breath....

3. Sing a SongThink of a song you know or a poem you know by heart. Chances are it is strongly rhythmic. A limerick is a good example – try tapping out the beat or saying a limerick with simple syllables (da DUM dada DUM dada DUM – There ONCE was a LAdy from FRANCE).It’s not just Irish people that use rhythm

4. What is rhythm?Rhythm is made up of a few things – rhyme, repetition, sound patterns, line and meter

5. What is meter?Meter is the organization of words’ accents into a pattern. It helps keep our attention on the unfolding of the poem or song.

6. An interview with a teacher who loves scansionStudent: I know you probably don’t mean “accent” like someone from a foreign country speaking English. What do you mean?Teacher: “Accent” refers to the emphasized part of a word. The word teacher has two syllables. The accent is on the first syllable. Monkey, termite and feisty are all words with an accented first syllable. When we start to put words with certain strong and weak (accented and unaccented) syllables together, we’ve got rhythm, baby.

7. Can I try this out?Teacher: OK, try it with your name. Say your name out loud and figure out which syllable is accented. If you have a monosyllabic name like Max or Doug, don’t just sit there smugly, use someone else’s name or your pirate name (piratequiz.com)

8. What are some different beats I can try out?Iambic u /Trochaic / uAnapestic u u /Dactylic / u uSpondaic //MistakeAfterAnd a brushDesperatePost card

9. How many of these little suckers can I put together?As many as you like!Is there a technical name for “little suckers”?Yes. Feet.Feet. Are you serious?Yes.

10. Do the feet have names?Of course.One foot (one iamb or one dactyl, etc.) – monometer2 – dimeter3 – trimeter4 – tetrameter5 – pentameter6 – hexameter...and so on

11. So....how do I put it all together?Meter + footEx: Anapestic tetrameter“’Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse”Ex: Trochaic Trimeter“Keen as are the arrows”Ex: Iambic Tetrameter “The splendor falls on castle walls”

12. Can we look at some examples?Yes.Scan the following lines:1. How can we know the dancer from the dance?2. The shattered water made a misty din.3. Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond.4. And a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush.5. Keen as are the arrows.6. I saw a pale green pair of pants with nobody inside them.

13. Are there any really crazy meters?Yes. Like antibacchiusnonometer.(/ / u x 9 feet).Will we be tested on this?Yes. Extensively.

14. Are you going to make us design our own poetic form that uses rhythm?Yes. You’ll need one of these:

15. What is the assignment?Design your own form of poetry. You have heard of the sonnet, the villanelle, the pantoum – now create your own. How about the “Shakt” or the “Jordio” or the “Saige-inator”? You’ll come up with names for your form that are less corny, don’t worry.Decide on the rhyme scheme, length of stanzas, rhythm, repetition and other features. Post the directions for writing your poem and a poem written in the form on your blog.

16. The end.Begin writing your awesome poems.