A perfectly regular line of iambic pentameter may have anywhere from 2 to 9 stresses, but it is still felt to exhibit 5 pulses or beats. However, marking stress is not the same as marking meter. All other aspects of language are present, indeed they are vital to the rhythm of the verse but they are not ordered by the meter. In English (and in many modern languages) the language is ordered by syllabic stress. It is an ordering of language by means of an extremely limited subset of its characteristics. Lewis observes, "f the scansion of a line meant all the phonetic facts, no two lines would scan the same way". The rhythm of language is infinitely varied all aspects of language contribute to it: loudness, pitch, duration, pause, syntax, repeated elements, length of phrases, frequency of polysyllabic words. To understand any form of scansion, it is necessary to appreciate the difference between meter and rhythm. ![]() ![]() There is even a debate among scholars as to what systems were inherited from the Greek and Roman poetry. Systems of scansion, and the assumptions (often tacit or even subconscious) that underlie them, are so numerous and contradictory that it is often difficult to tell whether differences in scansion indicate opposed metrical theories, conflicting understandings of a line's linguistic character, divergent practical goals, or whether they merely constitute a trivial argument over who has the "better ear" for verse. Over the years, many systems have been established to mark the scansion of a poem. In both cases, the meter often has a regular foot. In English poetry, they are based on the different levels of stress placed on each syllable. In classical poetry, these patterns are quantitative based on the different lengths of each syllable. ʃ ə n/ SKAN-shən, rhymes with mansion verb: to scan), or a system of scansion, is the method or practice of determining and (usually) graphically representing the metrical pattern of a line of verse. Invite students to consider how the results of their scansion practice supported, refuted, or complicated their initial thoughts on the poem.Representation of poetic meter An example of scansion over a quote from Alexander Pope Their completed exercise should be coupled with a short paragraph describing their experience with scansion and, more specifically, how the exercise influenced their interpretation of the poem. Can students effectively identify stress and meter in poetry? Close Readingįor homework, have students scan a poem using For Better For Verse. ![]() Students can submit evidence of their work by printing the page or by taking a screenshot of each completed exercise. Documentation Suggested Activities Scansion PracticeĪfter introducing the fundamentals of stress, meter, and rhythm in poetry, have students hone their skills by marking up select poems on the site. This tool helps students develop scansion skills through interactive scansion exercises online. For Better For Verse Start teaching with For Better For Verseįor Better For Verse is an interactive website that teaches scansion and allows students to mark stress, feet, and meter in poetry (and validate their answers).
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