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Comparing Sonnet 130 And Just The Way You Are

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Like people say, "A beautiful thing is never perfect" Nothing is perfect, but there are many beautiful things in the world. In "Sonnet 130", William Shakespeare makes fun of and criticize other writers about how they describe female beauty. Bruno Mars song, “Just the Way You Are” is saying how perfect his girlfriend is, in and out. This poem and song are popularly known to describe beauty but in different ways. It’s common when modern poets speak of their lovers with what the audience would like to hear, with all the false comparisons. Yet, Shakespeare chose to write about what love truly is, it matters most what’s on the inside rather than the outside. “Just the Way You Are” and “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun" are expressing their love for their lovers; however, while “Just the Way You Are” presents his love for his lover by praising her and telling her how amazing she is, “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun" suggests that you do not have to praise and make false comparisons to your beloved to show your true love.
A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in English typically having ten syllables per line. In many love poems, the poets describe the beauty and worth of their lover. Whereas in "Sonnet 130" Shakespeare writes this poem to show the ideal, realistic woman other writers croon over. For example, He describes the real imperfections of his love and ends by saying, "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare;/As any she belied with false compare" (13-14). He is saying his love is as strong as the other writers who describe their lovers with lies and false comparisons. In Felicia Steeles's "Shakespeare's Sonnet 130" she claims, "Shakespeare seems to undo, discount, or invalidate nearly every Petrarchan conceit about feminine beauty employed by his fellow English Sonneteers" (133). In their article "Sixteen Sonnets of William Shakespeare," J.R.S. claims, "He sadly distorts the meaning of the last line of "My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun." The sonnet ends: And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare. Allen reads the final line as though "she" were the subject of the verb "belied"; this makes

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