Sonnet Analysis - 1471 Words

Reclaiming the Sonnet: Cummings and Millay’s Contemporary Use of the Classical Poetic Form Fourteen lines, iambic pentameter, rhyme scheme-- the classical form of the sonnet has been employed by poets since the thirteenth century. Whether the Italian Petrarchan, the English Shakespearean or other variations on the quatorzain, some of the most widely-read poets have risen to fame as sonneteers. Typically sonnets address romantic love or lust, but occasionally poets will lyrically meditate on nature, spirituality or other universal aspects of the human condition; however, modern poets have broken from the traditional sonnet form and subject matter to put a contemporary twist on the popular fourteen-line model. American poets E.E. Cummings†¦show more content†¦The speaker personifies his nation, proclaiming with second-person pronouns, â€Å"i love you land of the pilgrims’ and so forth† and later stating, â€Å"thy sons acclaim your glorious name.† The orator muses over A merica’s war efforts the way other poets might idolize a young fair maiden or exalt the wonders of the natural world, the speechmaker inquires, â€Å"why talk of beauty,† claiming, â€Å"what could be more beautiful than these heroic happy dead who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter.† Cummings points out the absurdity of extreme patriotism and the dangers accompanying glorified militarism with a speaker who praises his nation’s violent efforts with the romantic rhetoric of love poetry. In addition to the heightened romantic language of the love poem, occasionally sonneteers will also utilize capitalization to convey a specific emotion regarding the poem’s subject. For example, in his popular 116th and 18th sonnets, respectively, Shakespeare plays with capitalization in several lines, including â€Å"Love’s not Time’s fool† and â€Å"Nor shall Death brag.† Capitalizing certain words that encompass great meaning or emotion-- as Shakespeare indicates with â€Å"Time† and â€Å"Death†-- aids poets in emphasizing the essential nature of said terms and their importance within the sonnet. Cummings does not follow Shakespeare’s practiceShow MoreRelatedSonnet 130 Analysis938 Words   |  4 PagesSonnet Analysis-Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare I will be writing about â€Å"Sonnet 130† that was written in 1609 by William Shakespeare. The theme of this sonnet is romance, but it isn’t the conventional love poem were you praise your mistress and point out to the readers all the ways in which she is perfect and the best. In this sonnet we could see that beauty isn’t a rush when you talk about love and how does Shakespeare compares her mistress appearance to things which she isn’t, this means herRead MoreSonnet Analysis : Ozymandias And The Second Coming1253 Words   |  6 Pages Sonnet Analysis: Ozymandias and The Second Coming Name: Date: Sonnet Analysis: Ozymandias and The Second Coming Ozymandias and The Second Coming are interesting pieces that easily capture the attention of the reader. From the titles to themes and other literary elements, it is indisputable that indeed these pieces qualify for analysis. There are major themes that come out in each of the sonnets. To start with The Second Coming, some of the themes that emerge include good versus evilRead MoreEssay about Sonnet 2 Analysis712 Words   |  3 PagesSonnet 2 Analysis The sonnets by Shakespeare convince a young, handsome friend of Shakespeare’s to have children to forever keep his beauty alive. However this changes after a number of sonnets. Shakespeare stresses that this beauty will not last, and that it is selfish and foolish for him not to prepare for the loss of his beauty and youth. The only way he can truly prepare is to rear a child so that his son can carry on his name and all his wonderful qualities, including his unsurpassed Read MoreEssay on Analysis of Shakespeares Sonnet 201225 Words   |  5 PagesAnalysis of Shakespeares Sonnet 20 Sonnet 20 appears to be about an affectionate love that the speaker develops for an unnamed man. He describes the man as having a womans face that Nature painted with its own hand. The speaker calls this admired person his master mistress. He goes on to say that this man has the gentle heart of a woman but is not inconsistent as is the way with women. He has eyes that are brighter than the eyes of any women. His eyes are so trueRead MoreAnalysis Of Sonnet 116 By William Shakespeare867 Words   |  4 Pagesremove,’’ this phrase basically means that love is not love if it changes with another individual or person. In order words, love is constant and must work with an adapting or suitable individuals Therefore, according to my close reading analysis the poem (Sonnet 116 by Shakespeare) is a fourteen line poem that is organized into three quatrains, ending with a rhymed couplet. It also has a regular stress pattern which makes the reader to go through some difficulty in understanding what the author isRead MoreAnalysis Of Sonnet 116 By William Lynn1284 Words   |  6 PagesContext,’’ book by ‘’Steven Lynn.’’ And can we see love as honest and true, if we answered yes to all these, then how can we relate it to our personal lives and what is our own definition of true love or real love. According to my close reading analysis of Sonnet 116 by Shakespeare, is a fourteen line poem that is organized into three quatrains, ending with a rhymed couplet. Not only that it also has a regular stress partner which makes the reader to go through some difficulty in understanding what theRead MoreSonnet Analysis Essay1249 Words   |  5 Pageschocolates and teddy bears or maybe a romantic sonnet? The clichà © of these superficial representations have been around for years and continue to plague our society today. But are the traditional roses on Valentine’s Day and anniversaries really a good signification of true love or would you prefer a unique and realistic approach? Good morning/ good afternoon Mr. Day and classmates, today I will be comparing two sonnets. These sonnets deal with the issue of ideal and unconventionalRead MoreAnalysis Of Sonnet By William Shakespeare2045 Words   |  9 PagesSonnet to science is a Lyric poem that gets ones attention from the first word. This Sonnet has high diction that through out the poem makes the readers aware of a serious concern the poet is trying to express. The title â€Å"Sonnet to Science†, can instantly bring to mind that the poem praise to science, however as the poem goes on, readers will realize is the exact opposite. The poem was written in the year 1829 right in the middle of the industrial revolution going on in Europe, a revolution thatRead MoreAnalysis Of Sonnets By John Keats1967 Words   |  8 PagesThe topic I am choosing for the project is sonnets, with a focus on John Keats. I think that sonnets fit into the focus of this seminar because they are a form of a lyric. Like we learned in Jackson’s â€Å"Lyric† article, â€Å"the early modern sonnet becomes the semi-official vehicle of c ontemporaneous lyric, and both theory and commentary respond to it as a given.† It also talks about the Romantic period was when â€Å"the lyric became a transcendent genre by remaining an idea that could blur the differencesRead MoreStylistic Analysis of Sonnet 55 by William Shakespeare2474 Words   |  10 PagesIntroduction In this paper, different perspectives of the nature of poetic language will be illustrated by using a stylistic analysis of a poem, „Sonnet 55‟, written by William Shakespeare (see Appendix for full poem). In the stylistic analysis, the use of sound and rhythm to convey complement meaning by Shakespeare will be in focus here. Poetic function in poem Poetic language is a type of language that commonly found in poetry1. According to Jakobson (1960), formalists believe poetic