· web viewchoose two poems in which the speakers have contrasting attitudes and discuss how the...

Elizabeth Davis - Westwood High School - 1

“If It’s Square, It’s a Sonnet”Poetry Analysis UnitAP English IV

(Italian sonetto) “a little sound or song.”

Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent's Narrow Room Notes:by William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

Nuns fret not at their convent's narrow room And hermits are contented with their cells; And students with their pensive citadels; Maids at the wheel, the weaver at his loom, Sit blithe and happy; bees that soar for bloom, High as the highest Peak of Furness-fells, Will murmur by the hour in foxglove bells: In truth the prison, into which we doom Ourselves, no prison is: and hence for me, In sundry moods, 'twas pastime to be bound Within the Sonnet's scanty plot of ground; Pleased if some Souls (for such there needs must be) Who have felt the weight of too much liberty, Should find brief solace there, as I have found.

What the Sonnet IsBy Eugene Lee Hamilton (1845-1907)

Fourteen small broidered berries on the hemOf Circe's mantle, each of magic gold;Fourteen of lone Calypso's tears that rolledInto the sea, for pearls to come of them;Fourteen clear signs of omen in the gemWith which Medea human fate foretold;Fourteen small drops, which Faustus, growing old,Craved of the Fiend, to water Life's dry stem.It is the pure white diamond Dante broughtTo Beatrice; the sapphire Laura woreWhen Petrarch cut it sparkling out of thought;The ruby Shakespeare hewed from his heart's core;The dark, deep emerald that Rossetti wroughtFor his own soul, to wear for evermore

All sonnets in this packet can be found at Sonnet Central - www.sonnets.org


Sonnetby Billy Collins (1941 - )

All we need is fourteen lines, well, thirteen now,

and after this one just a dozen

to launch a little ship on love's storm-tossed seas,

then only ten more left like rows of beans.

How easily it goes unless you get Elizabethan

and insist the iambic bongos must be played

and rhymes positioned at the ends of lines,

one for every station of the cross.

But hang on here wile we make the turn

into the final six where all will be resolved,

where longing and heartache will find an end,

where Laura will tell Petrarch to put down his pen,

take off those crazy medieval tights,

blow out the lights, and come at last to bed.

An EnigmaBy Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849)

"Seldom we find," says Solomon Don Dunce,

"Half an idea in the profoundest sonnet.

Through all the flimsy things we see at once

As easily as through a Naples bonnet--

Trash of all trash?--how can a lady don it?

Yet heavier far than your Petrarchan stuff--

Owl-downy nonsense that the faintest puff

Twirls into trunk-paper while you con it."

And, veritable, Sol is right enough.

The general tuckermanities are arrant

Bubbles--ephemeral and so transparent--

But this is, now,--you may depend on it--

Stable, opaque, immortal--all by dint

Of the dear names that lie concealed within't.

The four sonnets on pages the first two pages of this packet express varying opinions of the sonnet. Choose TWO poems in which the speakers have contrasting attitudes and discuss how the poets employ poetic devices to convey these conflicting opinions.


Sonnet Project Requirements

Almost all requirements of the sonnet project should be typed, and each requirement on a new page. Exceptions include marking rhyme scheme and meter and highlighting and labeling figurative language and sound devices on typed copies of the poem.

1. Provide one typed double-spaced copy of the sonnet with lines numbered.

2. On another typed copy, mark the rhyme scheme and identify sonnet type (Italian, English, etc.).

3. On another typed copy, mark the meter (include foot divisions).

4. Vocabulary – type the definitions of every important word in the sonnet (20 words minimum).

5. Paraphrase - restate the poem simply, sentence by sentence and type your version.

6. Answer journalistic questions: who? what? when? where? why? and type a paragraph relaying author

background.

7. On another typed copy, highlight and label all figures of speech and literary devices (metaphors, conceit,

simile, personification, irony, pun, paradox, oxymoron, etc.) Complete a device to meaning chart for at

least two of your examples.

8. On another typed copy, highlight and label all sound devices (assonance, alliteration, consonance,

euphony, cacophony, etc.). Complete a device to meaning chart for at least two devices identified.

9. Write a paragraph in which you identify and analyze two tones in the poem and identify the turn. [Use

your Yellow Pages for help with tone words. Be sure to use quotations from the poem to support your

choices.]

10. In a chart, record a full introduction, at least two topic sentences, and list evidence for support.

11. Include a copy of any other poem that conveys the same theme as your sonnet.

12. Design your folder cover with a collage of images to represent the theme of your sonnet.

13. Oral presentation

o Introduction

o Reading of one poem

o Transition

o Reading of the second poem

14. Dress in “beatnik style” for our Poetry

coffee house and presentation day.

Sonnet Project Scoring Guidelines

Written Requirements

Clean copy (lines numbered) _____/ 5 Rhyme Scheme _____/ 5 Meter _____/ 5 Vocabulary _____/ 5 Paraphrase _____/ 5 Journalistic Questions / Author background _____/ 5 Figures of Speech Labeled with D2M chart (2 entries) _____/ 10 Sound Devices Labeled with D2M chart (2 entries) _____/ 10 Tone Paragraph _____/ 10 Introduction, topic sentences, evidence _____/ 10 Accompanying Poem _____/ 5

_____/ 5 Folder Cover Design _____/ 5

Oral Presentation


Sonnet Study Essential Vocabulary“The vessel, the sonnet form, actually becomes a part of the meaning of the poem.” Thomas C. Foster

Sonnet Types: Italian/Petrarchan English/Shakespearean Spenserian

Anatomy of a Sonnet: [closed form] – 14 Lines (120 syllables) typically divided into two “units” couplet quatrain sestet octave rhetorical shift/turn/volta [e.g., ironic, emblematic, concessional, retrospective-prospective, elegiac, dialectical argument,

descriptive meditating, mid course, dolphin turn]Rhyme Patterns: Note – the Italian language is richer in rhyme than the English language which accounts for the adjusted rhyme pattern.

Italian – abba abba cdecde [sestet can be many variations] English – abab cdcd efef gg Spenserian – abab bcbc cdcd ee [interlocking rhyme with internal couplets] Other variations also apply including the blank sonnet which has no pattern of end rhyme, a.k.a. indefinable sonnet. Other rhyme vocabulary: end rhyme, internal rhyme, slant rhyme, eye rhyme, masculine rhyme, feminine rhyme

Rhythm: iambic pentameter [rising meter] unstressed-stressed unit foot iamb [unstressed followed by stressed, example: to-dáy]

Poetic and Rhetorical Devices: theme tone(s) point of view irony imagery connotation/denotation details syntax [sentence structure] enjambment repetition elision / epenthesis apostrophe paradox oxymoron pun figurative language:

o conceit/extended metaphoro metaphoro simileo personificationo metonymyo synecdocheo hyperboleo litotes

sound devices:o alliterationo assonanceo consonanceo onomatopoeiao cacophony / euphony


RHYME AND SONNET TYPE – Unlocking the “cheat codes”

What most readers learn first about poetry is the pleasure that comes from hearing rhymes. From our first Dr. Seuss experiences – “Would you eat them in a box? Would you eat them with a ____?” -- to most of the songs we listen to on the radio, we are programmed to appreciate the aesthetics of poetry. The different sonnet forms have prescribed rhyme schemes that can be quite complicated. Also worth noting is the fact that the rhyming words at the end of the lines often contain key concepts that help the reader unlock meaning.

To mark a rhyme scheme, the reader assigns a letter to each sound. The final syllable of the first line is given the label “a”, then the reader looks at the end of the other lines and assigns an “a” to any that rhyme with the first line. Once done, the reader returns to the second line. If it is not marked (it typically does not rhyme with line one), then that syllable is assigned the letter “b.” The process repeats until all lines are marked. Complete the following rhyme scheme notations.

Sonnet 116by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

1 Let me not to the marriage of true minds _____Admit impediments. Love is not love _____Which alters when it alteration finds, _____Or bends with the remover to remove: _____

5 O no; it is an ever-fixed mark, _____That looks on tempests, and is never shaken; _____It is the star to every wandering bark, _____Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. _____Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks _____

10 Within his bending sickle's compass come; _____Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, _____But bears it out even to the edge of doom. _____If this be error, and upon me prov'd, _____I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd. _____

Look back over the rhyming words in this poem and identify examples of each of the following.

Device of Rhyme Line Numbers WordsMasculine rhyme 1/3; minds/finds;

Feminine rhyme

Slant rhyme

Eye rhyme

Internal rhyme


SONNET TYPE: Understanding the poem’s “units” of meaning

Italian Sonnet UnitsOctave (abba abba)Sestet (cdecde, or cdcdcd, or cdcdee)

English Sonnet UnitsThree quatrains (abab cdcd efef)Concluding couplet (gg)

Spenserian Sonnet UnitsThree quatrains (abab bcbc cdcd)Concluding couplet (ee)

For each of the following sonnets, mark the units of division and identify the sonnet type.

“Whoso List to Hunt”by Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542)

Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind, But as for me, alas, I may no more; The vain travail hath wearied me so sore, I am of them that furthest come behind. Yet may I by no means my wearied mind Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore Fainting I follow; I leave off therefore, Since in a net I seek to hold the wind. Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt, As well as I, may spend his time in vain. And graven with diamonds in letters plain, There is written her fair neck round about, "Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am, And wild for to hold, though I seem tame." Sonnet 18

by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growest; So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

One Day I Wrote Her Name Upon the Strandby Edmund Spenser (1552-1599)

One day I wrote her name upon the strand, But came the waves and washed it away: Again I wrote it with a second hand, But came the tide, and made my pains his prey. Vain man, said she, that dost in vain assay A mortal thing so to immortalize! For I myself shall like to this decay, And eek my name be wiped out likewise. Not so (quoth I), let baser things devise To die in dust, but you shall live by fame: My verse your virtues rare shall eternize, And in the heavens write your glorious name; Where, whenas death shall all the world subdue, Our love shall live, and later life renew.

“Whoso List …” is a(n) _________________ sonnet.

“Sonnet 18” is a(n) _____________________ sonnet.

“One Day…” is a(n) ____________________ sonnet.


METER – Recognizing and analyzing the poet’s metrical choices

Each line of a sonnet is composed of five iambs (a unit of unstressed –stressed syllables), or a total of 10 syllables. However, on many occasions, a poet will need to be creative or combine syllables in a word to keep the meter sound. When a syllable is combined with another or even omitted, it is called an elision. For example, the word “over”, a two-syllable word can be adapted to the word “o’er” a one-syllable word for poetic purposes.

For many, marking the rhythm is the most difficult part of the analysis process, and , admittedly, it is not as crucial as other steps in this project. However, the discerning students will look at the poem from all angles and learn as much as he can. A poet may wish to create an irregular meter for emphasis, and it is this very detail that could cause the reader to notice a key concept.

For the following poems, mark the meter including foot divisions. Note any lines that are irregular.

Holy Baptismby George Herbert (1593-1633)

As he that sees a dark and shady grove,

Stays not, but looks beyond it on the sky

So when I view my sins, mine eyes remove

More backward still, and to that water fly,

Which is above the heav'ns, whose spring and rent

Is in my dear Redeemer's pierced side.

O blessed streams! either ye do prevent

And stop our sins from growing thick and wide,

Or else give tears to drown them, as they grow.

In you Redemption measures all my time,

And spreads the plaster equal to the crime:

You taught the book of life my name, that so,

Whatever future sins should me miscall,

Your first acquaintance might discredit all.

Loving in Truthby Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586)

Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love to show,

That the dear she might take some pleasure of my pain,

Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know,

Knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain,

I sought fit words to paint the blackest face of woe:

Studying inventions fine, her wits to entertain,

Oft turning others' leaves, to see if thence would flow

Some fresh and fruitful showers upon my sunburned brain.

But words came halting forth, wanting Invention's stay;

Invention, Nature's child, fled stepdame Study's blows;

And others' feet still seemed but strangers in my way.

Thus, great with child to speak, and helpless in my throes,

Biting my truant pen, beating myself for spite:

"Fool," said my Muse to me, "look in thy heart, and write."

[hint: this “sonnet” is not written in pentameter]


DICTION – Understanding and analyzing an author’s word choices

Sonneteers have only 140 syllables to establish a situation and convey meaning; therefore, every word counts. The reader must attend to every word carefully considering multiple meanings of words, looking for patterns of diction, and noting contrasts and repetition. For the reader, this is often the first layer of meaning to unlock.

Read the following poems and highlight in pink particularly impactful or strong connotative word choices. Take notes on the patterns, contrasts, etc. that you notice.

Baptism Notes on Diction:by Claude McKay (1890-1948)

Into the furnace let me go alone; Stay you without in terror of the heat. I will go naked in--for thus 'tis sweet-- Into the weird depths of the hottest zone. I will not quiver in the frailest bone, You will not note a flicker of defeat; My heart shall tremble not its fate to meet, My mouth give utterance to any moan. The yawning oven spits forth fiery spears; Red aspish tongues shout wordlessly my name. Desire destroys, consumes my mortal fears, Transforming me into a shape of flame. I will come out, back to your world of tears, A stronger soul within a finer frame.

The Harlem Dancer Notes on Diction:By Claude McKay (1890-1948)

Applauding youths laughed with young prostitutes And watched her perfect, half-clothed body sway; Her voice was like the sound of blended flutes Blown by black players upon a picnic day. She sang and danced on gracefully and calm, The light gauze hanging loose about her form; To me she seemed a proudly-swaying palm Grown lovelier for passing through a storm. Upon her swarthy neck black shiny curls Luxuriant fell; and tossing coins in praise, The wine-flushed, bold-eyed boys, and even the girls, Devoured her shape with eager, passionate gaze; But looking at her falsely-smiling face, I knew her self was not in that strange place.


PARAPHRASE – Putting the poem in your own words.

After a reader has examined the key words in the poem, he should seek to understand the dramatic situation and literal meaning. The best way to do this is to state the poem in your own words, sentence by sentence. Hint: Your vocabulary list will be a valuable resource in this activity.

Paraphrase the following poems, sentence by sentence.

Death Be Not Proud Rewrite the poem sentence by sentence:By John Donne (1572-1631)

Death be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so, For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow, Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me. From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow, And soonest our best men with thee do go, Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery. Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men, And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell, And poppy, or charms can make us sleep as well, And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then? One short sleep past, we wake eternally, And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

Forgiveness Rewrite the poem sentence by sentence: by John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) (What do you notice about this syntax?)

My heart was heavy, for its trust had been Abused, its kindness answered with foul wrong; So, turning gloomily from my fellow-men, One summer Sabbath day I strolled among The green mounds of the village burial-place; Where, pondering how all human love and hate Find one sad level; and how, soon or late, Wronged and wrongdoer, each with meekened face, And cold hands folded over a still heart, Pass the green threshold of our common grave, Whither all footsteps tend, whence none depart, Awed for myself, and pitying my race, Our common sorrow, like a mighty wave, Swept all my pride away, and trembling I forgave!


JOURNALISTIC QUESTIONS – Understanding and analyzing the narrative situation of the poem

One VERY important rule of poetry is never to assume that the speaker is the poet. The narrative voice in a sonnet will always be referred to, then, as “the speaker” not Shakespeare, Keats, or Browning. Through the centuries, Shakespeare’s sonnets have transcended the identity of the bard and have adopted universal applications. For example, the speaker of Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 29” could be a Renaissance gentleman lamenting his station in life; however, when I read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou’s autobiography, I reexamined this poem, Maya’s favorite, from the point of view of a young African-American girl dealing with racism in the Jim Crow South, but treasuring the companionship of her brother.

Some poems, admittedly, are intimately tied to a poet’s life. The works of John Keats are like this. He reflects on his mortality as a result of a serious illness. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, too, is famous for her Sonnets from the Portuguese, a sonnet sequence full of love poems for her husband, Robert. However, students still need to refer to the narrative voice as “the speaker” and not John Keats or Elizabeth Browning.

For the following poem, complete the journalistic questions in the right column.

Glory of Womenby Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967)

You love us when we're heroes, home on leave, Or wounded in a mentionable place. You worship decorations; you believe That chivalry redeems the war's disgrace. You make us shells. You listen with delight, By tales of dirt and danger fondly thrilled. You crown our distant ardours while we fight, And mourn our laurelled memories when we're killed. You can't believe that British troops 'retire' When hell's last horror breaks them, and they run, Trampling the terrible corpses--blind with blood. O German mother dreaming by the fire, While you are knitting socks to send your son His face is trodden deeper in the mud.

Who?

What?

When?

Where?

Why?


SOUND DEVICES - Analyzing the manipulation of language (part one)

“The sound must seem an echo to the sense.” - Alexander Pope

The following lines are from Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Criticism, a work that seeks to give advice to critics but also to discuss the qualities good poets should strive for in their own work. In this excerpt, Pope manipulates language cleverly to create sound effects appropriate for the subject matter and/or the tone of a poem. Pope argues that writing is a honed craft and writers make deliberate choices to promote their purpose. The entire work is written in heroic couplets (consecutive lines of rhymed iambic pentameter).

From An Essay on Criticism [note: this is not a sonnet]By Alexander Pope

True ease in writing comes from art, not chance,As those move easiest who have learned to dance.‘Tis not enough no harshness gives offense,The sound must seem an echo to the sense.Soft is the strain when Zephyr gently blows,And the smooth stream in smoother numbers flows;But when loud surges lash the sounding shore,The hoarse, rough verse should like the torrent roar.When Ajax strives some rock’s vast weight to throw,The line too labors, and the words move slow;Not so when swift Camilla scours the plain,Flies o’er the unbending corn, and skims along the main.

Highlight and label sound devices in the following poems and complete a D2M response on a sheet of notebook paper for at least two of the examples you find. Explain how the sound contributes to the meaning.

Sonnet 130by William Shakespeare (1594-1616)

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red: If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damask'd, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak,--yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go, My mistress when she walks, treads on the ground; And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare.

Anthem for Doomed Youthby Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle Can patter out their hasty orisons. No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells, Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,-- The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells; And bugles calling for them from sad shires. What candles may be held to speed them all? Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes Shall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes. The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall; Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds, And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.


FIGURES OF SPEECH AND LITERARY DEVICES –Analyzing the manipulation of language (part two)

Poetry is compact language, like frozen concentrated orange juice. Often students will ask, “Why doesn’t the poet just say what he means?” However, it is the very craft and manipulation of the language that creates the art. Readers should be on high alert for figures of speech and other literary devices. More often than not, the images in the poem are not just for aesthetics, but actually create the meaning.

For the following poems, highlight and label imagery, figures of speech, and other literary devices and complete one D2M response on your own paper explaining how one of the devices you marked helps create meaning in the poem.

Sonnet 73 Notes on figurative language and poetic devices:by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. In me thou see'st the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth from the west; Which by and by black night doth take away, Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire, That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, As the deathbed whereon it must expire, Consumed by that which it was nourished by. This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong, To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

The Street Notes on figurative language and poetic devices:by James Russell Lowell (1819-1891)

They pass me by like shadows, crowds on crowds, Dim ghosts of men that hover to and fro, Hugging their bodies round them, like thin shrouds Wherein their souls were buried long ago: They trampled on their youth, and faith, and love, They cast their hope of human-kind away, With Heaven's clear messages they madly strove, And conquered,--and their spirits turned to clay. Lo! how they wander round the world, their grave, Whose ever-gaping maw by such is fed, Gibbering at living men, and idly rave, "We, only, truly live, but ye are dead." Alas! poor fools, the anointed eye may trace A dead soul's epitaph in every face!


TONE – Understanding the complexity of the sonnet

Most well-written sonnets can be divided into two basic units. In the Italian sonnet, the octave introduces the situation, poses a question, establishes a mood, etc. and the sestet answers or concludes, sometimes contrasting the octave, sometimes increasing the degree of emotion. The English sonnet’s three quatrains may establish different metaphors, serve as examples, establish a mood, etc. to prepare the reader for the concluding couplet. Occasionally, as in “Sonnet 29” the turn will occur in line 9, but more often than not, the couplet indicates this shift and reveals the meaning of the poem as a whole.

Use your Yellow Pages to help you identify precise tone words for each “unit” in the sonnets below. Read the following sonnets and discuss the tones.

To examine complexity, it may be useful to use the following template: The speaker’s tone is ___A ___ , but also ___B___.

Ozymandias Notes on Tone A:by Percy Byssche Shelley (1792-1822)

I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert . . . Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed: And on the pedestal these words appear: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Notes on Tone B:Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.

America Notes on Tone A:by Claude McKay

Although she feeds me bread of bitterness, And sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth, Stealing my breath of life, I will confess I love this cultured hell that tests my youth! Her vigor flows like tides into my blood, Giving me strength erect against her hate. Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood. Yet as a rebel fronts a king in state, Notes on Tone B:I stand within her walls with not a shred Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer. Darkly I gaze into the days ahead, And see her might and granite wonders there, Beneath the touch of Time's unerring hand, Like priceless treasures sinking in the sand. INTRODUCTION, THESIS, & TOPIC SENTENCES – Preparing to write an analysis


Introduction - Should include two to three sentences that include context, TAG, and a well-written and clear thesis statement.Hook - Introduce the key concept in the poem and usher the reader into the discussion by providing contextTAG - Include title, author, and genre (this is a bridge between the hook and the thesis)Thesis statement - Write a complex sentence expressing the meaning of the poem in the main clause and an author

move or method in the dependent clause (this should be a level 3 strategy).

Topic Sentences - Think about how your thesis statement can be divided into at least two topics for the body of your essay. Write complete sentences to guide your analysis in the body of your essay before incorporating evidence.

Read the following poems and complete an introduction and outline for one in the chart below.

If Thou Must Love Meby Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

If thou must love me, let it be for nought Except for love's sake only. Do not say "I love her for her smile--her look--her way Of speaking gently,--for a trick of thought That falls in well with mine, and certes brought A sense of pleasant ease on such a day"-- For these things in themselves, Beloved, may Be changed, or change for thee,--and love, so wrought, May be unwrought so. Neither love me for Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheeks dry,-- A creature might forget to weep, who bore Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby! But love me for love's sake, that evermore Thou mayst love on, through love's eternity.

Batter My Heartby John Donne (1572-1631)

Batter my heart, three-person'd God; for you As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend; That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me and bend Your force, to break, blow, burn and make me new. I, like an usurpt town, to another due, Labour to admit you, but Oh, to no end, Reason your viceroy in me, me should defend, But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue. Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain, But am betroth'd unto your enemy: Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again, Take me to you, imprison me, for I Except you enthrall me, never shall be free, Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

Introduction and Thesis

Topic Sentence One Topic Sentence Two

Evidence for support Evidence for support


Sample Sonnet ProjectCLEAN COPY

“Sonnet 29” by William Shakespeare

1 When, in disgrace with fortune and men’ eyes,

2 I all alone beweep my outcast state,

3 And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries

4 And look upon myself, and curse my fate,

5 Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,

6 Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,

7 Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,

8 With what I most enjoy contented least;

9 Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,

10 Haply, I think on thee -- and then my state,

11 Like to the lark at break of day arising

12 From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;

13 For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings

14 That then I scorn to change my state with kings.


RHYME SCHEME AND SONNET TYPE

“Sonnet 29” by William Shakespeare

1 When, in disgrace with fortune and men’ eyes, a

2 I all alone beweep my outcast state, b

3 And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries a

4 And look upon myself, and curse my fate, b

5 Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, c

6 Featured like him, like him with friends possessed, d

7 Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope, c

8 With what I most enjoy contented least; d

9 Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, e

10 Haply, I think on thee -- and then my state, b

11 Like to the lark at break of day arising e

12 From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate; b

13 For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings f

14 That then I scorn to change my state with kings. f

English Sonnet


RHYTHM AND METER

Sonnet 29 by William Shakespeare



3 And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries irregular line





8 With what I most enjoy contented least;

9 Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, irregular line


11 Like to the lark at break of day arising irregular line



14 That then I scorn to change my state with kings.


VOCABULARY

Disgrace – shame; dishonor; exclusion from favorFortune – position determined by wealth; chance, luckMen - personEyes – opinion; judgment, point of viewAlone – separate; apart; solitaryBeweep – to express grief or sorrow overOutcast – person who is rejected or cast out, discardedState – condition of a person or a thing; status, rank; pun – “estate”Trouble – to bother; to disturb; to put to inconvenienceDeaf – unable to hear; refusing to listen; unyieldingHeaven – celestial powers, God; the abode of GodBootless – without result; uselessCries – fit of weeping; utteranceCurse – to wish or invoke evil; to abuseWishing – wanting; desiring; yearningRich – having wealth; aboundingHope – the feeling that what is wanted can be hadFeatured – to resembleFriends – person attached to another by feelings of affection, regardPossessed – belonging to oneArt – skills or techniquesScope – aim or purpose; outlook application, effectivenessEnjoy – experience pleasure for; have or use with satisfactionContented – satisfied with what on is or hasLeast – to the smallest extent, degreeThoughts – consideration or reflectionDespising – to regard with contempt, disgust, or disdain; scorn; loathHaply – by chance; perhapsThink – remembering experiences; to call something to one’s mindBreak of day - dawnArising - to awaken; to ascendSullen – persistently ill-humored; dismalSings – to tell about or praise someone in songHymns – an ode in praise of God; book in praise of someone or somethingGate – an opening permitting passage through an enclosureLove - passionate affection for another person, deep affectionRemembered – to recall to the mid; to retain in the memoryWealth – valuable possessions; plentiful amount; state of being prosperousScorn - treat with disdain; reject; refuseChange - to give and take reciprocally; interchangeKings – male sovereign or monarch; person preeminent in his class


PARAPHRASE

[One sentence]

When I’m alone, thinking of all of the things in life that I do not have, jealous of those who seem to have

it all -- wealth, beauty, talent – and when I realize that no matter how much I complain, nothing will

change and what used to make me happy no longer satisfies me, thankfully, I think about how fortunate I

am to have you a thought which changes my perspective in such a way that I would not trade places with

the richest most powerful person in the world.

JOURNALISTIC QUESTIONS

Who?

The speaker is a middle-aged man who has recently been passed over for a promotion at work in a job

that he does not particularly enjoy.

What?

He is lamenting his station in life, his choices, and his possessions. As he looks around him, he sees so

many men who have accomplished greater deeds and have accumulated more power and wealth.

When?

The year is 1850. The time of year is November just after fall and before a long winter will set in. It is a

foggy Friday evening. The hour is right before midnight.

Where?

He is in his flat in the city of London, England.

Why?

The gentleman, feeling desperate and depressed expresses his feelings of disappointment almost to the

point of self-loathing; however, he censures himself once he glances at a picture of a beloved friend and

realizes his misplaced priorities.


AUTHOR BACKGROUND

William Shakespeare is perhaps the best known writer in the English

language. He lived from April 23, 1564 to April 23, 1616, writing 37

plays and 154 sonnets during his lifetime. His home, Stratford upon

Avon where he lived with his wife Anne Hathaway (not the actress) is

still an extremely popular tourist site. During his career, not only did

he write plays, often for the enjoyment of rich patrons, but he also

acted in them as well. Shakespeare is the master of the English sonnet form, also known as

Shakespearean, which is a variation of the Italian or Petrarchan sonnet. His collection of sonnets was

published in 1609 is considered one of the most important collections of poetry in the English language as

well. The sequence of the poems is carefully crafted with groups of poems thought to target a fair youth,

a dark lady, and even a rival poet. According to Dr. Thomas C. Foster, “When in doubt, it’s from

Shakespeare.”

http://www.shakespeare.org


FIGURES OF SPEECH/LITERARY DEVICES


1 When, in disgrace with fortune and men’ eyes, personification, synecdoche


3 And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries oxymoron; metonymy





8 With what I most enjoy contented least; antithesis

9 Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, volta, hyperbole


11 Like to the lark at break of day arising simile



14 That then I scorn to change my state with kings. Pun, irony

Line # Device Example Explanation2, 10, 14

Pun Repetition of the word “state”

In the sonnet, the word “state” can be seen in three separate contexts. In line 2, the speaker focuses on his state of being alienated from society or the world. With this revelation, we learn that he is disgraced and perhaps even destitute. In line 10, we see that with the thought of a loved one, the speaker’s “state” begins to change. This again would refer to a state of being; however, the reference is in direct contrast to the state described in the first eight lines of the sonnet. Finally, in line 14, the speaker reveals that he would not change his “state” with kings. This clever play on words helps he reader see that the speaker may be referring to an “estate” with riches and power or again a state of well being.

11 Simile “…my state / Like to the lark at break of day arising / From sullen earth sings hymns at heaven’s gate,”

Traditionally, the lark is used to symbolize happiness, joy, or even a new day or new beginning. By comparing the speaker’s state to a “lark at break of arising from sullen earth, Shakespeare completes the transformation of this once depressed man to one who sees the blessing of love. This image is the only figurative language in the poem. All of the other details from his original state focus on what the speaker is lacking in life. Only when he thinks of his true love is he able to transcend the earthly priorities and expectations and find


true contentment.

SOUND DEVICES



2 I all alone beweep my outcast state, alliteration, consonance

3 And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries assonance, consonance



6 Featured like him, like him with friends possessed, repetition, slant rhyme

7 Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope, repetition, assonance

8 With what I most enjoy contented least; alliteration, slant rhyme

9 Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, feminine rhyme

10 Haply, I think on thee -- and then my state alliteration

11 Like to the lark at break of day arising alliteration, feminine rhyme

12 From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate; alliteration


14 That then I scorn to change my state with kings. alliteration, couplet

Line # Device Example Explanation9,11 Feminine

rhyme“despising” “arising”

In his “Sonnet 29,” Shakespeare employs a traditional rhyme scheme for the English sonnet. The basic pattern has lines ending with masculine rhyme, mostly single syllable words. However, to frame the turn of the sonnet, he ends lines nine and eleven with the words “despising” and “arising.” The sudden switch to feminine rhyme places a natural emphasis on these words, words that encompass the change in the speaker’s attitude about himself and his “state.” At the height of his despair, the speaker is “despising” himself; however, with one thought of his loved one, his soul begins “arising” to a state of contentment.

6 Alliteration / repetition

“Featured like him, like him with friends possessed.”

Aside from completing a line of iambic pentameter, Shakespeare repeats the words “like him, like him” in line 6 to emphasize the speaker’s obsession with what others have and what he lacks. In the middle of a list of shortcomings, the speaker reveals his insecurities by focusing on his greatest desires. These desires unfortunately are qualities and possessions the speaker may never have. He acknowledges that he is not “rich in hope,” handsome, popular, talented, or wise, and these feelings of inadequacy lead him to despise himself. All he wants is to be “like him.” The key then is his inability to focus on what he does have. Once he is


able to see the blessing “haply,” he no longer desires to have what others have, even kings.

TONE PARAGRAPH

In the first eight lines of the poem, the speaker grows increasingly despondent as he reflects upon his situation in life. He begins with a description of his state of “disgrace” and his laments of being “outcast” and “all alone.” His frustration builds as he complains that his laments are “bootless” and that “deaf heaven” will not respond to his urgings. This frustration grows to desperate self-loathing when the speaker lists his shortcomings until he reaches what seems to be his breaking point admitting he is “contented least” by what he would customarily enjoy the most. The volta occurs in line nine when the seemingly rock bottom speaker “haply” thinks on a loved one. Although the word “haply” literally means by chance, it sounds like the more pleasant word “happily” which suggests the mood is changing to a positive one. Now the speaker’s state is “arising” and “[singing] hymns” as he remembers the “wealth” of his “sweet love.” The now blissfully content speaker can look upon his “state” with contentment rather than the regret expressed in the first eight lines.

INTRODUCTION, THESIS, and TOPIC SENTENCES

Introduction and ThesisThe easiest way to feel depressed and inadequate in life is to compare ourselves to others who seem to have more, to look better than we do, or to be more popular at least. Centuries before Facebook existed to help perpetuate our obsessive need for comparison, William Shakespeare explored this phenomenon in his poem, “Sonnet 29.” In “Sonnet 29,” Shakespeare creates a despairing yet uplifted speaker who serendipitously reflects upon the love a close friend in order to prove to the reader that no matter how difficult life becomes, we can be content in the blessings of love.

Topic Sentence OneIn the first section of the poem, the speaker wallows in self-pity which leads to an alarming state of self-loathing.

Topic Sentence TwoAfter the turn, and with one serendipitous thought of a loved one, the speaker’s attitude abruptly shifts from extreme dissatisfaction to blissful contentment

Evidence for support (poetic device)1st quatrain - He sees the negative features in himself (organization)“disgrace, alone, beweep, outcast, bootless, curse ” (pattern of negative word choices)“deaf heaven”( oxymoron)2nd quatrain - He sees the desirable qualities in others (organization)“fortune, state, rich, art, scope” (images suggesting value/wealth)“Wishing…Featured…, like him…, Desiring” (verbs suggesting his dissatisfaction “most enjoy…contented least” (antithesis)“despising” (feminine rhyme, irregular rhythm)

Evidence for support (poetic device)“Haply” (turn; also sounds like “happily” (pun))“state” (repeated from octave, pun)“arising” (feminine rhyme; irregular rhythm)“like to the lark…gate” (simile)“heaven’s gate, sweet love, wealth, “ (pattern of positive word choices, images)“scorn to change my state with kings” (hyperbole, irony)“sullen earth - heaven’s gate” (contrast his states in the poem)


ACCOMPANYING POEM

"If I Didn't Have You"

Thompson Square

Sometimes it feels like, I'm gonna breakSometimes this world, gives more than I can takeSometimes, sunshine gets lost in the rainAnd it keeps pouring down It just keeps coming down.This life would kill me If I didn't have youI couldn't live without you babyI wouldn't want toIf you didn't love me so muchI'd never make it through'Cause this life would kill meThis life would kill me if I didn't have you.

You are my heart, every breath I breatheI'm safe in your arms, you rescue me.When I'm weak, you're strongIf you were gone I don't know where I'd beYou were made for me(You were made for me)

This life would kill me If I didn't have youI couldn't live without you babyI wouldn't want toIf you didn't love me so muchI'd never make it through'Cause this life would kill meThis life would kill me if I didn't have you

If you didn't love me so much(If you didn't love me so much)

This Life would kill me If I didn't have you(This life would kill me)

Couldn't live without you babyI wouldn't want toIf you didn't love me so muchI'd never make it through'Cause This life would kill me


This Life would kill me if I didn't have you


Sonnet 30by William Shakespeare

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought

I summon up remembrance of things past,

I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,

And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste:

Then can I drown an eye, unused to flow,

For precious friends hid in death's dateless night,

And weep afresh love's long since cancell'd woe,

And moan the expense of many a vanish'd sight:

Then can I grieve at grievances foregone,

And heavily from woe to woe tell o'er

The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan,

Which I new pay as if not paid before.

But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,

All losses are restored and sorrows end.

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