Blogger #33- Natalie Zhang- 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?

Our class had a short discussion about this. The response varied but were all around the same idea. What I thought was that summer usually had a positive connotation as it usually reminded me of the beach and a clear blue sky. 

Some specific responses from my peers-

• Sophia said that summer can represent freedom.

• Bernie said that summer has a positive connotation as it's associated with the beach.

• Oscar said that summer relates to the beach and good weather.

• Wilson said that summer represents maturity.

Structure of a Shakespearean Sonnet

After the Do Now, we were given a lesson about the structures of a Shakespearean Sonnet. We learned how the sonnets are separated into 4 parts. With three quatrains(4 lines each) and a rhyming couplet at the end of the poem. They also follow the rhyme scheme-  ABAB CDCD EFEF GG and are written in iambic pentameter (a metric line consisting of unstressed syllables followed by stressed syllables). After this we did a quick activity where we were told to try to identify the iambic pentameter in the sentences below. Using / for stressed and u for unstressed.

1. Of/ten, a/ pet’s soft/ whine out/cries the/ son’s 

2. Shall/ I com/pare thee/ to a summer’s/ day 

And to even further make sure we understood we watched a video about iambic pentameter. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-tayWCupD8&ab_channel=ShakespeareCoach

This video told us that we speak in iambic pentameter all the time. Some examples include the sentences, “I’m going to my friends house after school.” and “Could you please put the milk back in the fridge?” 

Sonnet 18

1 Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? A

2 Thou art more lovely and more temperate: B

3 Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, A

4 And summer's lease hath all too short a date: B

5 Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, C

6 And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; D        

7 And every fair from fair sometime declines, C

8 By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd;  D

9 But thy eternal summer shall not fade E

10 Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st; F

11 Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, E

12 When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st; F

13 So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, G

14 So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. G

TEAM GROUP WORK

After spirit reading Sonnet 18 out loud we were then assigned to our breakout to work as a group to discuss and answer the questions on the next slides. The responses my group came up with are shown below.

1. Using the capital letters A-G, mark the poem (in the same way as the example to the right) for its rhyme scheme. 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 more than summer and see it as bright and lovely. However, the speaker hopes that the subject’s “summer” personality never disappears.

2. In Quatrain Two: What are the problems the speaker has with summer?

1. What does line 7 mean (“and every fair from fair sometimes declines”)?

The line means that summer will go away and that the person's love and beauty won’t.

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 summer will soon end but the subject will not fade and end.

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 beauty will be internal as long as someone is able to breathe and read the sonnet it will give life to the subject of the poem.

5. What is the theme of this sonnet? 

1. 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.

Class Discussion

After the time was up we were all brought back into the main to share and discuss the answers we got. Points were given out to the teams that shared their answers and noticed that everyone had similar answers. We concluded that the subject of the poem was being compared to summer. That the main difference between the two was that summer will fade and end but the subject will not as it will stay alive as long as someone is able to read the sonnet. 

TEAM GROUP WORK Part 2 

After our discussion of the first sonnet we were brought into breakout rooms to work together to read and answer the questions about another sonnet. The response my team came up with and sonnet are shown below. 

Sonnet 130

1 My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun, A

2 Coral is far more red, than her lips red, B

3 If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun: A

4 If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head: B

5 I have seen roses damasked, red and white, C

6 But no such roses see I in her cheeks, D

7 And in some perfumes is there more delight, C

8 Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. D

9 I love to hear her speak, yet well I know, E

10 That music hath a far more pleasing sound: F

11 I grant I never saw a goddess go, E

12 My mistress when she walks treads on the ground.  F

13 And yet by heaven I think my love as rare, G

14 As any she belied with false compare. G

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

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

The speaker describes his mistress faults and negative sides in the poem. Some specific attributes include dun breasts, lips less red than coral, and black wire for hairs.

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

The speaker says that her breath is bad and that her cheeks don’t blush.

4. In Quatrain Three: How does the speaker address his mistress’ voice and walk?

1. How does this contrast with what most people would claim about their mistresses?

The speaker says that her voice is bad compared to music and that she treads instead of walking. This contrasts to what most people would claim because these are insults.

5. 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?

1. How does the poet play with conventional stereotypes of love poetry?

The conclusion shows that even though the mistress has flaws he still loves her.

6. 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? 

Shakespeare uses juxtaposition by first stating all the flaws and negative things about the mistress which is very different from the way a love poem usually starts. But by starting with the flaws and negative sides to the mistress it enhances the fact that the speaker still loves the mistress despite her flaws which is the theme of the poem. This theme is still very relevant and prevalent today as people shouldn’t be judged by their appearance as it doesn’t define them.

Reflection

From this lesson I learned about the Shakespearean sonnet and many new vocabulary I didn’t know before.  From iambic pentameter to rhyming schemes there were many news things taught to me. This will be useful in helping me complete my homework and ultimately the project. Learning and reading all these different poems makes me see them in a different light than I saw them before. It helps me really understand what they are and see that poems aren’t as scary as they seem. It also makes me realize just how amazing of a person Shakespeare was as he was able to come up with so many thought provoking and interesting poems.