Thoughts on Holy Sonnet 7 (4 in our book because it had bad editors )

When I was initially taking Lit I was afraid, because i didn't really have experience analyzing poems or finding deeper meaning in words etc etc . To be frank I still don't feel confident when I am asked to analyze poetry but that is what's great about a blog , you can simply talk about what you think about the poem and you are not required to understand every little thing about it . Reading John Donne's Holy Sonnet #7 brought a very vivid image to my mind . I imagined a man standing in the center of a flat earth and speaking up to a dark cloudy sky in which four angels held trumpets. I don't why I imagine Judgment day as dark , but I guess it is because I believe there are more bad people in the world than good. So this man in the poem calls upon the souls of people who have died and who are to come and be either sent to heaven or hell. Then he goes on to ask the Lord to allow them to rest some more and asks for guidance in how to repent himself why he is still on Earth. In general this is a very powerful image to me. One human ready to watch a million souls being judged and him worrying about his own sins. I believe this scene really shows human nature and how what we fear the most is being judged. Yes we all sin, but I don't think we ever truly regret it unless we are being judged be it by others or by ourselves . We have that constant need to be in control and to be forgiven , because we don't want to feel bad for what we do, and if someone else seems it bad , it just makes it real. The character in this sonnet is wanting to give the souls of dead more time . I imagine it is really him who needs more time to come in touch with what it is he thinks he's done wrong and to be forgiven . What I think we really need after a certain bad decision is to be forgiven by ourselves, and thus we seek forgiveness in God ( those who believe in him anyway) because usually by God's forgiveness we are truly able to forgive ourselves . This is what I really respect and like about Donne's work . Though it does talk about religious ceremonies and the love towards God , he exemplifies something fundamentally human in his writing and makes are actions real and okay ! In general I really liked the sonnet because not only did it being a pretty picture to my mind , but it made me think about what really it is we seek after making a certain decision and taking a certain action.

Shakespeare's Sonnet 73 analysis (By Emily, Yuna and I )

William Shakespeare’s sonnet 73 is a lament for the shortness of life and love, imbued with many powerful literary devices and imagery.  The narrator speaks of the cycle of life as well as love. He begins with the transition of fall into winter, followed by several metaphors for death, leading eventually to the conclusion that we must love passionately while it is still possible.

This sonnet is presented entirely with imagery and metaphors in lieu of bland explanations. The poet uses strong imagery of nature and naturally occurring reactions as a metaphor for his fading youth. First he compares his aging, to the coming of winter which he describes as “that time of year when yellow leaves hang and when their branches shakes against the cold”.  Then he compares aging to when birds cease to sing, symbolizing also the coming of winter. In his imagery of a fire, he describes how during his youth he was a burning flame, but now he is mere ember, which will eventually be extinguished with the ash of the fire. The fire symbolizes his body, which was always his life, is now going to be the death of his soul.  All of the imagery he uses is also a metaphor for his fading youth.  Other metaphors include Death’s second self, meaning darkness and ruined choirs, as well as the sunset, representing the golden era of the narrators relationship. Shakespeare also employs personification by giving Death’s second self, or darkness, human qualities, such as allowing it “to seal up the rest” or allowing the black night, also a metaphor for darkness, to take away something.

Sonnet 73 pairs vivid imagery with varied literary devices.  The sonnet has a rhyme scheme where the first and third verses of all three quatrain rhyme at the end, and the couplet rhymes at the end. The poet employed such a rhyme scheme not only to make the reading smoother but to emphasize the words in the end. When words flow, it allows us to hear and register the emphasis more. The words behold and cold rhyme, hang and sang rhyme, and so on. The final couplet has the words strong and long which rhyme, emphasizing the words as well as their meaning within the couplet.

Looking at these words without even considering the meaning of the poem, we can see how they relate to the central theme of a fading youth. Cold which could symbolize darkness and death, day and away, meaning the day fades show how youth escapes him. The couplet ends with the two rhyming words strong and long, which represent a sort of moral to the sonnet. The author takes advantage of the last couplet to explain the significance of the idea of fading youth from the first quatrains. He explains that because of the inevitability of death, the young man which listens to the poet must love him stronger and more passionately. On a broader scale, it suggests that we should love unconditionally while we can, because eventually it will fade and we will die. In general this form of a poem allows him to show the cycle of life. At first he uses the metaphor of winter and the coming of night to symbolize the coming of old age. These are both two are cycles and thus repeat every day or every year. So at first while we age, a new day is a new beginning. In the last quatrain though he uses the metaphor of fire, which takes away the cycle aspect and shows the fact that eventually there comes a finite end. Finally the poet describes a fire, which has an ultimate end.  The poet also employs a cycle of using the terms you and me to show the interaction of the listener and himself.

In conclusion, the narrator begins to notice how death and love are intertwined and how death eventually separates two lovers. In the end he comes to a realization that though contradictory, the two can coexist. Realizing the inevitability of death, we can in fact love deeper, which does not have to be considered a bad thing.

Review of Sonnet 79 by : Edmund Spenser

Sonnet 79

Men call you fayre and you doe credit it,
For that your selfe ye dayly such doe see:
But the trew fayre, that is the gentle wit,
And vertous mind, is much more praysd of me.

For all the rest, how ever fayre it be,
Shall turne to nought and loose that glorious hew:
But onely that is permanent and free
From frayle corruption, that doth flesh ensew

That is true beautie: that doth argue you
To be divine and borne of heavly seed:
Derived from that fayre Spirit, from whom al true
And perfect beauty did at first proceed.

He onely fayre, and what he fayre hath made:
All other fayre, lyke flowres, untymely fade.

 Out of the three Spencerian sonnets I read, I would have to say that 79 was my favorite. The other two, being equally well written and with amazing imagery didn't speak to me as much as this one did. In our days it seems that a lot of thought is being put into our appearances. Girls always worry about their faces, about their bodies and in general all that is shallow about humans. I admit that I am like that too, but only because society makes it so. The message that is being spread (especially through media) is that guys like skinny girls, with beautiful skin etc etc. We are pretty much accessories to them. Another things is that many girls (especially those that are qualified as "pretty" ) have a lot of pride and vanity. When we are called fair, we accept it because we ourselves see the  mirror every morning ("For that yourself you daily such do see" (2) ). So if we succeed in becoming what is "right" we are obviously contempt, even if it was at the expense of something else. Why I like this poem, is because Spencer makes a comment that's not only satisfying to me, but that sends a message to women of his time and our time. Men (at least those that we want -POETS = hot ) value inner beauty above all else. Sure we should take care of appearance, but not to the point where it becomes an obsession. A women's mind and her virtues - her intelligence, how well she can keep up with conversation, emotional connections, have far greater importance than our beauty. We need to realize that with age beauty fades ( "For all the rest, however fair it be, Shall turn to naught and lose that glorious hue" (5-6)), but what is within us stays intact (unless you have Alzheimer's or some unfortunate disease). Spencer states that true beauty is heavenly and almost angelic, which means that being a good person and having a good personality is much more important that our physique. To me its nice to be reassured once more and hear those words. In a world where everything is about outer beauty, its good to know that some people (even if they lived many many years ago) value inner beauty more. 

In my life I wish to find my second half based on true beauty. I don't want to fall in love with someone only because they are handsome, and I don't want them to to fall for me, only because they think I'm pretty. In love you need to have a real connection and have things to talk about, or else, after the passion is over and the beauty has faded, what will there be to stay together for ? In essence the cliche is true, what's inside matters more than what's outside, and Spencer just words it in a beautiful way !  

"All other fair, like flowers, untimely fade." 

We will eventually grow old and not be as fresh and lively as before, but what stays in our minds and in our hearts, won't change, and if we find love based on that, it will remain eternal, when all else dies.  

Rating: 5/5 - A definite must read :)

A Knight's Tale

After reading about the Medieval Period in English, I finally got around to watching A Knight's Tale, and I have to say, it is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's humorous, its tragic, it shows pride, it shows love....it has every aspect of an amazing movie. In two of the scenes I actually teared up myself (especially where he is reunited with his father) and when he won his final joust, I was so happy. Some parts of the  movie really stood out as being too modernized ( like the dance and the signing of We Will Rock You) but it added a nice touch to the overall chivalric mood. It's always nice to see people rising from the bottom to the top, and as to speak "changing their stars". Maybe one day I'll be able to change my stars as well and rise to the top.

In essence, definitely an amazing movie ! I'm surprised I haven't seen it earlier ! 

As of today I will start reading War and Peace. Hopefully I can finish it before the year ends ( but knowing my busy schedule, I'll probably torture the poor book until summer).

New beginnings

Today I created my first (and hopefully not last) Literary Blog ! I'm pretty excited about it :) I will make it look prettier with time ! Though at this point I should be memorizing my 18 lines of the prologue to The Canterburry Tales !