milton and his life Essay

Elizabeth Bishop’s poem, ‘Sonnet’ bears little resemblance to its namesake at first glance. Bishop plays with our expectations, molding the well-known sonnet form into something new. She transforms the meter and rhyme scheme of the sonnet to the point of metamorphosis, but she retains the skeletal structure of the form; fourteen lines broken down into the customary octave and sestet. Her invocation and subsequent subversion of the anticipated poetic form provide her with a baseline to branch off from and without that context, the structure would not have the same effect on the poem’s meaning.

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.

In 1573, George Gascoigne published “For That He Looked Not upon Her,” a poem in which his careful and methodical approach to the sonnet form is evident. Two years later, he published “Certayne Notes of Instruction on Making of Verse,” which only further served to cement his reputation as meticulous and deliberate with his choice of language and form—every choice Gascoigne makes is made with a purpose in mind. This is especially evident in “For That He Looked Not upon Her,” wherein Gascoigne utilizes both the intentionally-chosen sonnet form and vivid imagery to develop his criticism of the classic sonnet in which the beloved’s refusal of the author only serves to make him more determined to pursue her.

The main word that pops out at me is the word doubt. The poet could have said “I absolutely know God is good” yet he added the word doubt as if he is unsure of what he is saying. The tone pattern of uncertainty continues to be expressed throughout the sonnet. For example, line 2 “And he did stoop to quibble could tell why” and line 4 “Why flesh that reflects him must some day die”. The ending word of line 2 and beginning word of line 4 is the word “why”, which shows again the author questioning God and His ways. That one word ends up rhyming with the word “die” and if you combine those two words in a sentence you get “why die” as if it was another form of a question in disguise. Cullen wraps up what he is saying by repeating the title of the sonnet “Yet Do I Marvel” as if he is still searching for an answer from God which he will never receive, exemplifying of the entire poem which in a whole is about

John Milton produced some of the most memorable Christian texts in English literature. Central pieces of Milton’s work, including Paradise Lost and Samson Agonistes, specifically allude to stories that Judaism and Christianity hold in common. Historically, the anti-monarchical regime Milton supported, under the leadership of Cromwell, informally allowed Jews back into England in 1655 after Edward I exiled them in 1290 (Trepp 151). Additionally, seventeenth-century British Christians looked increasingly to Jewish texts to understand their own religion (e.g. Robert Ainsworth and John Seldon), with Hebraic studies from German scholarship and Latin translations of Jewish texts entering during the

In 1632 on August 29, a child was born in Wrighton, Somerset named John Locke. His father was a lawyer and owned a small piece of land. Using connections he made during war, Locke’s father was able to get him into the very prestigious, school Westminster School. This is where John Locke studied and taught at for years.

John Locke was born on August 29, 1632, in Wrington, Somerset, England to John Locke Sr. and Agnes Keene, an average earning family. As a child, John Locke attended West Minster school where he dominated his subjects; As a result, John Locke then transferred to Christ school, Oxford, where he spent his valuable time studying medicine and natural philosophy (science). Without a doubt, John Locke began to form a massive interest in his studies, excelling through school as if it was easy as breathing; For that purpose, John Locke became

BibliographyMilton, John. The Complete Poetry of John Milton. New York; Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. , 1971.

Made up of three quatrains and couplet in iambic pentameter, Sonnet 1 contains the common thread of encouraging procreation, however each has a small topic shift that defines the tone of the quatrain. The first quatrain is an axiom, ending with the line “His tender heir might bear his own memory” signifying to the reader the speaker’s purpose behind their argument. By structuring the sonnet this way Shakespeare uses a structure that is similar to some persuasive arguments in real life. The rhyme scheme also helps to reflect this as Shakespeare uses the ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme to draw the reader’s attention to word that strengthen the speaker’s argument. An example of this is the rhyme between ‘’spring’’ and ‘’niggarding’’ in the third quatrain.

The fact that the poet chooses to write about London, England in the form of an Italian sonnet is an indication that the speaker is making fun of England. The speakers word choice reveals that speaker is actually making fun of England instead of showing sympathy for it when the speaker states that England has “forfeited [its] ancient English dower/ of inward happiness” (5-6). This shows that the speaker feels as if England had an opportunity to have happiness, but they gave it up or “forfeited’ it. The speaker the uses a disrespectful tone when they say,” We are selfish men… (6)/ Give us manners, virtue, freedom, power” (8). In these lines the speaker continues to make fun of England by calling it citizens’ selfish people who lack manners, virtue, freedom, and power. This explains why the speaker is calling for Milton, who is known for his defense on political freedom, at the beginning of the poem to aid England in its time of need. In the sestet at the end of the sonnet, the speaker uses imagery along with simile to transition from the present, to the past. This translation allows the speaker to describe how England used to be. The speaker states that, “thy soul was like a star, and dwelt apart” (9). The speaker also uses personification when he states that “[England’s voice was] pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free” (11). These compliments about how

Dating back to 1609, William Shakespeare artfully crafts a poem, in which illuminates a man’s struggle through self-reflection and faith. With fourteen lines in iambic pentameter, the poem embodies the characteristics of an English sonnet. Allowing the character to “look upon myself,” Shakespeare writes about the feelings of a singular person; thus, creating a lyric poem. Masterfully working within the tough parameters of closed form, Shakespeare strays away from typical meter and rhyme scheme only when emphasizing the true nature of the persona’s spirit. In Shakespeare’s sonnet “When, in disgrace with Fortune and men’s eyes,” the poet employs numerous poetic devices to exemplify the persona’s struggle with loneliness and self-worth,

In “Holy Sonnet 14” by John Donne, dramatizes the conflict between contradictions and a relationship with God.

Milton’s poetry/sonnets are different from any other. He involves Politics and Religion. In his sonnets he will start them off one way, and then with the last two lines throw a twist on it. This is one reason Milton is famous.

     The sonnet, being one of the most traditional and recognized forms of poetry, has been used and altered in many time periods by writers to convey different messages to the audience. The strict constraints of the form have often been used to parallel the subject in the poem. Many times, the first three quatrains introduce the subject and build on one another, showing progression in the poem. The final couplet brings closure to the poem by bringing the main ideas together. On other occasions, the couplet makes a statement of irony or refutes the main idea with a counter statement. It leaves the reader with a last impression of what the author is trying to say.

In Sonnet 7 (“Lo, in the orient, when the gracious light..”), one out of the 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet, William Shakespeare, focuses on the burden of beauty and how human life can be compared to the passage of the sun rising and setting. Throughout the whole poem, the advice is given to the young man, to follow the sun and its direction. This sonnet is written in iambic pentameter, consists of three quatrains and ends with a couplet while following the rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. The poet 's way of using poetic and literary devices such as rhythm, alliteration, and caesuras strengthens the poem’s argument that the sun and man must coexist to live on and that the only way for the youth to ensure their