I need to know the scansion of the first four lines of The Raven and how they contribute to the meaning of the poem.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 1999

Answers

The 4 lines lead you into "The Raven" causing you to want to read more.

-- Anonymous, March 04, 2000

i can't tell you about the metre, i haven't chacked it, but the rhyme is very uncommon. Notice that there's is a rhyme inside the line and also inside the stanza like in common poems. "once upon a midnight dreary, while i pondered, weak and weary over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore while i nodden nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door..." Notice how dreary and weary on line 1 rhyme, and lore rhymes with door. this type of rhyming is very complex, and i have only seen it in the rave. POE IS A GENIOUS!!!!!!!!

-- Anonymous, April 02, 2000

ya

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2001

why do you have this on the web if the answer isn;t here that is so stupid

-- Anonymous, September 12, 2002

The meter is mostly iambic.

Once up/on a/ midnight/ dreary,/ as I/ pondered/ weak and/ weary X ~ /X ~/ X ~ / X ~ / X X/ X ~ / X ~ / X ~

and it goes on the same. As far as how it contributes to the meaning of the poem, I just think its annoying . . . Hehe, good luck on your paper or project or whatever it is.

-- Anonymous, December 31, 2002