Blogger #31 - Jessica Yan Yim - Period 7 - 4/12/21 - Day C

Aim: How can further implementation of our poetry skills enhance our exploration and analysis of Shakespearean Sonnets? 

Do Now: WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION

Consider the word “Summer”. What symbolic meanings or connotations are usually associated with this word? Why? 

The class agreed that when they think of summer, it gives off a positive connotation. They compare summer to freedom and maturity. Summer is the “final stage” of growing. They are also reminded of the beach and the good weather in summer. 

The Structure of a Shakespearean Sonnet:

• Shakespearean sonnets are fourteen line poems.

• They are traditionally about love and romance.

• Divided into four parts: three quatrains (four lines each) and a rhyming couplet at the end of the poem (two lines)

• First quatrain introduces the subject

• Second quatrain complicates the subject

• Third quatrain and The couplet resolves or alters the subject in some way

• Follows the rhyme scheme-  ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

• Sonnets are written in iambic pentameter (a metric line consisting of unstressed syllables followed by stressed syllables)

• Stressed syllables are marked with a / over the letters; unstressed are marked with au.

The video (Iambic Pentameter Made Easy) : 

• iambic pentameter contains 10 syllables alternating back and forth between unstressed and stressed syllables.

• iambic pentameter contains 5 (penta) iambs

• We speak in iambic pentameter all the time 

• I’m going to my friend’s house after school.

• Could you please put the milk back in the fridge?

• I don’t know how to study for this test.

• My sneakers are too tight when I wear socks.

• There are many different types of verse, iambic pentameter is one of them

• iamb: a 2 syllable part of a total meter (first unstressed, second stressed) (dah-DUM)

• Pay attention to the rhyme scheme, figurative language, diction, and tone as you read annotate the poem for meaning.

Group Work: As a group, we had to mark the poem by finding its rhyme scheme and answer questions about each poem.

A poem that we’re all familiar with, Twinkle Twinkle little star, demonstrates its rhyme scheme.

Using the capital letters A-G, mark the poem (in the same way as the example to the right) for its rhyme scheme. 

1. In Quatrain One: According to the speaker, how does this subject compare to summer? Which does he prefer?

According to the speaker, they prefer the subject over summer. “Thou art more lovely and more temperate” The subject is more lovely and temperate than summer.

2. In Quatrain Two: What are the problems the speaker has with summer? What does line 7 mean (“and every fair from fair sometimes declines”)?

The problem the speaker has with summer is that summer will fade and “decline” but the subject’s loveliness will never go away.

3. In Quatrain Three: What is the main difference between the subject of the sonnet and summer? 

The main difference between the subject of the sonnet and summer is that the subject will not end, but summer does.

4. Rhyming Couplet: Look at lines 13-14. What is the speaker saying in the conclusion of the sonnet? Does this confirm the messages expressed in the rest of the sonnet or alter them in some way?

The speaker is saying that as long as the poem is there, the beauty of the subject remains. This confirms the messages expressed in the rest of the sonnet.

5. What is the theme of this sonnet? What is the speaker’s attitude toward the subject?

The theme of this sonnet is that as long as someone is able to read the sonnet the subject of the sonnet will remain alive.

Identify the rhyme scheme (by marking the poem as previously done) using the letters A-G.

1. In Quatrain One: How does the speaker describe his mistress?  What specific attributes does he reference? 

The speaker describes the mistress’s bad qualities such as dun breasts, her eyes are nothing like the sun, lips not as red as coral etc.

2. In Quatrain Two: How does the speaker speak to: her cheeks, and her breath?

Her cheeks dont blush, her breath is bad.

3. In Quatrain Three: How does the speaker,  address his mistress’ voice and walk? How does this contrast with what most people would claim about their mistresses? 

Her voice is bad compared to music and she treads instead of walking. It contrasts with what most people would claim about their mistresses because they would talk more fond of them.

4. Rhyming Couplet: Look at lines 13-14. What is the speaker saying in the conclusion of the sonnet? Why does the poet think his love is rare? How does the poet play with conventional stereotypes of love poetry?

The conclusion is that despite all her flaws, he still loves her.

5. How is the speaker's lover an inversion or parody (an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect) of the Petrarchan (A Petrarchan lover is melodramatic, self-consciously suffering, and has given himself up to the power of his mistress) and medieval lover? 

1. How has Shakespeare used juxtaposition, and for what purpose? 

2. In what way(s) has the writer’s focus on physical beauty enhanced the emphasis and relevance on the theme for society at the time? 

3. How is this theme still relevant and prevalent today?

The speaker starts the poem by pointing out all her flaws, but in the conclusion, he states how she is still loved despite her flaws. He sees all her flaws but he is able to overlook them because he loves her. This theme is relevant today because no one should be judged based on their appearance.

Reflection: We learned the structures of a Shakespearean Sonnet today. This was helpful because it helped enhance our analysis of Shakespearean Sonnets. They are 14 line poems that are usually about romance. They are divided into 3 quatrains and the whole poem follows the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Each line contains 5 iambs or 10 syllables that alter between unstressed and stressed syllables. We can use this in the future in poems to be able to identify what we are reading and understanding it better.