A distinguished sense of hollowness, and darkness is discernable in George Elliot Clarke’s poem “Blank Sonnet”. This poem expresses, the author’s difficult and awkward communication with a lover through a broken relationship. word choice and imagery is imperative to the overall effect and tone of the poem. The usage of an atypical sonnet stylization, broken sentences, forms of metaphors, symbolism, sensory language, and alliteration form strong imagery, and a sense of disconnect. The overall effect leaves the reader with a resonating feeling of emptiness.
The main theme within Clarke’s Sonnet is his distance and inability to communicate with a lover. This poem is written for his lover as an attempt to connect with her, although within the poem, he is continuing to communicate poorly. The way in which he copes with this broken relationship drives the tone of the poem.
A common theme throughout the poem is the coping mechanism used for his troubled relationship. He does not view his alcoholism as a fault, but as a comfort and an escape. He yearns “to sleep beneath a patchwork quilt of rum”. (Clarke 6) Furthermore, he wishes to drink until he is unaware that his relationship is troubled. He wishes for “the slow collapse of language / [w]ashed out by alcohol.” (Clarke 7-8) He desires to detach, and isolate himself from the situation mentally, rather than remove himself physically. This suggests that he has no wish to recover from his alcoholism, and no desire to leave his
Words similar to this are used throughout the poem which makes the reader feel empathy to the drinker.
“Blank Sonnet” by George Elliott Clarke is a sonnet expressing struggled communication with a lover through a broken relationship. This poem expresses communication struggles through the stylization that is atypical to a Shakespearean or Petrachin Sonnet. Clarke
A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines that rhyme in a particular pattern. William Shakespeare’s sonnets were the only non-dramatic poetry that he wrote. Shakespeare used sonnets within some of his plays, but his sonnets are best known as a series of one hundred and fifty-four poems. The series of one hundred and fifty-four poems tell a story about a young aristocrat and a mysterious mistress. Many people have analyzed and contemplated about the significance of these “lovers”. After analysis of the content of both the “young man” sonnets and the “dark lady sonnets”, it is clear that the poet, Shakespeare, has a great love for the young man and only lusts after his mistress.
The poem’s structure as a sonnet allows the speaker’s feelings of distrust and heartache to gradually manifest themselves as the poem’s plot progresses. Each quatrain develops and intensifies the speaker’s misery, giving the reader a deeper insight into his convoluted emotions. In the first quatrain, the speaker advises his former partner to not be surprised when she “see[s] him holding [his] louring head so low” (2). His refusal to look at her not only highlights his unhappiness but also establishes the gloomy tone of the poem. The speaker then uses the second and third quatrains to justify his remoteness; he explains how he feels betrayed by her and reveals how his distrust has led him
In the poem “Unholy sonnet 5,” Mark Jarman shows us a philosophical reflection about what is worth to do in this life based on a repetition of some patters during the poem. The structure of this poem make it a Petrarchan sonnet. This kind of sonnet is composed by two arguments, the first consist on two octaves with a rhyme ABBA and ABBA. Denoting repetition of the words have, hive, mean and men; highlighting these as significant to found sense to the first argument of the sonnet. In a deeper reading of the poem, this first argument is centered in questioning que purpose and meaning of life for human beings, coinciding with the pattern of rhymes and sounds. Following this structure of a Petrarchan sonnet, the second argument is composed by a sestet. This means that the sonnet has a rhyme CDECDE, denoting repetition of the words joy, death and forget; highlighting these as significant to found sense to the second argument of the sonnet. Also, the second argument of the poem centered on a practical analysis of what is worth to do in life (enjoying) before the death, coinciding with the pattern of rhymes and sounds.
“On Being Cautioned against Walking on an Headland Overlooking the Sea, Because it was Frequented by a Lunatic,” Charlotte Smith’s sonnet, comments on the poet’s feelings toward this lunatic and the thought process he instigates in her mind. By using different syntax to describe her two characters, Smith draws the attention of the reader to the message in the sonnet instead of the scene on the surface. The structure of the English sonnet also lends to the poem’s power, giving Smith a perfect avenue to deliver her message.
In the opening lines of Millay’s poem, it seems as if she is speaking to a lover. The tone of the poem is set in the first line, “in some quite casual way” (1). Throughout the sonnet, one senses a frighteningly casual tone, something very matter of fact, as if these fourteen lines are a passing thought in Millay’s head. The alliteration of “quite casual” supports the plain-spoken tone, giving a feel of simple, everyday speech. Millay imagines that as she is on the subway, she casually glances over and notices on “the back-page of a paper, say / Held by a neighbor” (3-4) her lover is gone and not to return.
Throughout the sonnet, For That He Looked Not upon Her, George Gascoigne uses different literary devices to demonstrate the speaker’s caution of women as a past victim of a misleading love. This poem deals with the spirit of desire and that desire resulting in suffering. These literary devices help underline certain plots and the speaker’s response to them.
Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Sonnet IV” follows many of the conventions of the traditional Petrarchan sonnet. It follows the traditional rhyming scheme and octet, sestet structure. However it challenges the conventions of the typical subject of the Italian sonnet, unrequited love. In the octet at the beginning of the poem Millay uses images that give a sense of transience and in the ending sestet of the sonnet she contrasts the sense of impermanence given earlier with the idea that the speaker cannot forget the smiles and words of their ex-lover. This contrast between permanence and transience illustrates Millay’s interest in a fugacious relationship with everlasting memories. After further analysis of Millay’s highly structured rhyming scheme which puts emphasis on the last words of each line. She uses these words to further express her interest in exploring impermanent relationships by using words that are associated with an end or death.
Each word that is written seems to never make sense Always trying and trying again, just to crush it up again Every sonnet can be sold for twenty cents But it can all be stuffed inside a big thick pen With words I am trying and trying, but it is not right And if I try to put it all on paper I will organize and probably work on it tonight And hopefully I will find it later These words now seem to become clear This sonnet has a way of working with my mind And I am afraid of the ending coming near Yet I am glad because it was a pain in the behind Now my time has ended and I must go I'm very sad to say I'm not Edgar Allen
Inconspicuous, clever, and charming, these regularly appreciated verses show up at an easygoing perusing to present few issues of analysis or understanding. However the arrangement has incited forcefully unique readings over late years. There is proceeding with difference among pundits about the tone and reality of the succession, about the unique situations (scholarly, authentic, and scholarly) inside which it might should be caught on, what's more, even about the fundamental frameworks of the account which these apparently straightforward verses apparently unfurl. Part of the issue in perusing the "Charis" sonnets lies definitely in that pressure between their account and verse capacities: between a perspective of the lyrics as constituting, a solitary, ceaseless, and naturally related entire - 'the story' which the writer declares in the opening sonnet and then again ten discrete 'verse pieces' to be freely relished and caught on. A fairly comparable pressure is to be found inside the 'ten pieces' on Lady Venetia Digby which make up the succession 'Eupheme', set in appearing to be balance to the "Charis" ballads close to the finish of The Underwood: and inside those bigger gatherings of ballads, the Epigrams and The Forest, in Jonson's 1616 folio. 1 In these cases, lyrics composed at various circumstances
The sonnet sets a deep, sad tone right off the bat as it complains how we are destroying ourselves with consumerism; showing how it pushes away from peace and true satisfaction. “Getting and spending, we lay waste our
John Donne in his sonnet, “Holy Sonnet 14” intricately uses various poetic techniques and meters in order to masterfully exemplify vivid imagery to the readers. He also uses many similes to allude the readers into having both an imaginary and a realistic perception while reading the poem. All of these aspect help with appreciating the thematic content of the poem.
Upon Her, english poet George Gascoigne explore the universal feelings of fear and disappointment through his personal struggle with examples of vivid imagery, metaphors, and literary devices by painting a picture of fear, self-loathing, destruction and dread. As a sonnet, in fourteen lines, Gascoigne employs these examples of literary devices to communicate his ideas as a torn and broken man efficiently but also with plenty of emotion through form, diction, and imagery.
Juvenal is one of the greatest satirist in the literary tradition. He has been venerated as one of the practitioners of satire and also the most penetrating commentators on the human condition. Juvenal’s facet is of that ‘angry’ denunciator who is driven to express by a sense of indignation at the corruption he sees around him. His biting “Satires” could be read as a brutal critique of pagan Rome, yet he exaggerates and puts a comedic mode of expression which makes it debatable. Juvenal covers all of the roman genre of satire, which, is around the time of the author. He argues that each of these aspects ‘is actually a false good, and is only good so long as other factors do not intervene.’He discusses a lot of social mores;