What Is a Sonnet - Overview and Characteristics

A sonnet is a one-stanza, 14-line poem, written in  iambic pentameter. The sonnet, which derived from the Italian  word  sonetto, meaning â€Å"a little sound or song, is a popular classical form that has compelled poets for centuries, says  Poets.org. The most common—and simplest—type is known as the English or Shakespearean sonnet, but there are several other types. Sonnet Characteristics Before  William Shakespeare’s day, the word sonnet could be applied to any short lyric poem. In Renaissance Italy and then in Elizabethan England, the sonnet became a fixed poetic form, consisting of 14 lines, usually  iambic  pentameter in English. Different types of sonnets evolved in the different languages of the poets writing them, with variations in rhyme scheme and metrical pattern. But all sonnets have a two-part thematic structure, containing a problem and solution, question and answer, or proposition and reinterpretation within their 14 lines and a volta, or turn, between the two parts. Sonnets share these characteristics: Fourteen lines:  All sonnets have 14 lines, which can be broken down into four sections called quatrains.A strict rhyme scheme:  The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet, for example, is ABAB / CDCD / EFEF / GG (note the four distinct sections in the rhyme scheme).Written in  iambic  pentameter: Sonnets are written in  iambic pentameter, a poetic meter with 10 beats per line made up of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables. A sonnet can be broken into four sections called quatrains. The first three quatrains contain four lines each and use an alternating rhyme scheme. The final quatrain consists of just two lines, which both rhyme. Each quatrain should progress the poem as follows: First quatrain:  This should establish the subject of the sonnet.Number  of lines: four; rhyme scheme: ABABSecond quatrain:  This should develop the sonnet’s theme.Number  of lines: four; rhyme scheme: CDCDThird quatrain:  This should round off the sonnet’s theme.Number  of lines: four; rhyme scheme: EFEFFourth quatrain:  This should act as a conclusion to the sonnet.Number  of lines: two; rhyme scheme: GG Sonnet Form The original form of the sonnet was the Italian or Petrarchan sonnet, in which 14 lines are arranged in an octet (eight lines) rhyming  ABBA ABBA and a sestet (six lines) rhyming either CDECDE or CDCDCD. The English or Shakespearean sonnet came later, and, as noted, is made of three quatrains rhyming ABAB CDCD EFEF and a closing rhymed heroic couplet, GG. The Spenserian  sonnet  is a variation developed by Edmund Spenser in which the quatrains are linked by their rhyme scheme: ABAB BCBC CDCD EE. Since its introduction into English in the 16th century, the 14-line sonnet form has remained relatively stable, proving itself a flexible container for all kinds of poetry, long enough that its images and symbols can carry detail rather than becoming cryptic or abstract, and short enough to require a distillation of poetic thought. For more extended poetic treatment of a single theme, some poets have written sonnet cycles, a series of sonnets on related  issues often addressed to a single person. Another form is the sonnet crown, a sonnet series linked by repeating the last line of one sonnet in the first line of the  next until the circle is closed by using the first line of the first sonnet as the last line of the last sonnet. The Shakespearean Sonnet The most well-known and important sonnets in the English language were written by Shakespeare. These sonnets cover such themes as love, jealousy, beauty, infidelity, the passage of time, and death. The first 126 sonnets are addressed to a young man while the last 28 are addressed to a woman. The sonnets are constructed with three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and one couplet (two lines) in the meter of iambic pentameter (like his plays). By the third  couplet,  the sonnets usually take a turn, and the poet comes to some kind of epiphany or teaches the reader a lesson of some sort. Of the 154 sonnets Shakespeare wrote, a few stand out. A Summers Day Sonnet 18 is probably the most well known of all of Shakespeares sonnets: Shall I compare thee to a summers day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate:Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summers lease hath all too short a date:Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimmd;And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance, or natures changing course, untrimmd;But thy eternal summer shall not fadeNor lose possession of that fair thou owst;Nor shall Death brag thou wanderst in his shade,When in eternal lines to time thou growst;So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. This sonnet best exemplifies the three-quatrain-and-one-couplet model, as well as the iambic pentameter meter. While many people assumed Shakespeare was addressing a woman, he is, in fact,  addressing the Fair Youth. He compares the young man to the beauty of a summers day, and just as the day and seasons change, so to do humans, and while the Fair Youth will eventually age and die, his beauty will be remembered forever in this sonnet. Dark Lady Sonnet 151 is about the  Dark Lady, the object of the poets desire, and is more overtly sexual: Love is too young to know what conscience is;Yet who knows not, conscience is born of love?Then, gentle cheater, urge not my amiss,Lest guilty of my faults thy sweet  self prove.For thou betraying me, I do betrayMy nobler part to my gross bodys treason;My soul doth tell my body that he mayTriumph in love; flesh stays no farther reason,But rising at thy name, doth point out theeAs his triumphant prize. Proud of this pride,He is contented thy poor drudge to be,To stand in thy affairs, fall by thy side.No want of conscience hold it that I callHer love, for whose dear love I rise and fall. In this  sonnet,  Shakespeare first asks the Dark Lady to not admonish him for his sin, as she is also sinning with him and the Fair Youth. He then speaks to how he feels betrayed by his own body because he is merely following his base instincts, which have enslaved him to Dark Lady.

Flannery OConnors A Good Man is Hard to Find and Good...

â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find† and â€Å"Good Country People† are two short stories written by Flannery O’Connor during her short lived writing career. Despite the literary achievements of O’Connor’s works, she is often criticized for the grotesqueness of her characters and endings of her short stories and novels. Her writings have been described as â€Å"understated, orderly, unexperimental fiction, with a Southern backdrop and a Roman Catholic vision, in defiance, it would seem, of those restless innovators who preceded her and who came into prominence after her death†(Friedman 4). â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find† and â€Å"Good Country People† are both set in the South, and O’Connor explores the tension between the old and new South. The stories are tow†¦show more content†¦O’Connor describes the children’s mother in contrast to the grandmother by what they are wearing; thus their clothes rep resent the age from which they are. The Children’s mother â€Å"still had on slacks and still had her head tied up in a green kerchief, but the grandmother had on navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white dot in the print†(O’Connor 118). The children’s mother is representative of the New South in which the Southern Lady is becoming less of a central figure within society. A lady of the old south would never wear slacks and tie her hair up in a kerchief to go out in public. Under an old south mentality these actions would be considered very unlady like. O’Connor illustrates the tension between the old and the new south by the constant struggle between the grandmother, her son, and the daughter-in-law. O’Connor also poses the contrast between the old and new South in her short story â€Å"Good Country People†. Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman represent the old South because of the way in which they carry themselves and their traditional beliefs and values. Mrs. Freeman works for Mrs. Hopewell who states â€Å"the reason for her keepin her so long was that they were not trash. They were good country people†(O’Connor 272). Mrs. Hopewell describes Mrs. Freeman and her two daughters as â€Å"two of the finest girls she knew and Mrs. Freeman was a lady and that she was never ashamed to take her anywhere or introduce her to anybody they might mett†(O’ConnorShow MoreRelatedO Connor s Life1323 Words   |  6 Pagesauthor Flannery O’Connor has been a vision of American literature for the last eighty years. Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia during the Great Depression, O’Connor grew up during an era of hardship and trouble trying to focus on her studies while her family was battling financial difficulties. During this time of O’Connor’s life is where her short stories begin to form and her desire to share her experiences of love, friendship, and life blossomed into these short stories. O’Connor’s writingRead More Violence Leading To Redemption In Flannery OConnors Literature1482 Words   |  6 PagesViolence Leading to Redemption in Flannery OConnors Literature Flannery OConnor uses many of the same elements in almost all of her short stories. I will analyze her use of violence leading to the main character experiencing moral redemption. The use of redemption comes from the religious background of Flannery OConnor. Violence in her stories is used as a means of revelation to the main characters inner self. The literature of Flannery OConnor appears to be unbelievably harsh and violentRead MoreReview Of Flannery O Connor s Rage Of Vision861 Words   |  4 Pagesauthors of Southern text use religion to convey emotion through grotesque-life changing events and concepts. An article titled â€Å"Flannery O’Connor’s Rage of Vision†, by Claire Katz discusses how O’Connor’s literature feature religion and Christianity to throughout the literature. The author states, â€Å"Since O’Connor had identified her theme as Christian, it is no surprise to find critics discussing this prototypical pattern in relig ious terms; the protagonist is humiliated in order to recognize his stateRead MoreFlannery OConnor and Her Southern Gothic Style1187 Words   |  5 PagesFlannery O’Connor, known for her original Southern Gothic style of prose has been titled â€Å"the master of the short story† (O’Connor). Her application of symbolism and the themes of Southern religion deem her as one of the most influential writers in American history. Born in Savannah, Georgia in 1925 and raised in the South, O’Connor was socialized as a member of the Catholic Church which proves evident throughout her writings. She studied journalism at the University of Iowa, but quickly migratedRead MoreFlannery O Connor s A Good Man1493 Words   |  6 PagesFlannery O’Connor’s background had a dramatic impact on her writing. Born in Savannah, Georgia, she utilized her familiarity with the region as a reference to implement a richly descriptive southern setting in her short stories . She was raised by devout Roman Catholics; her faith was deeply intertwined with the overall theme and character development in her writings. O’Connor portrays moments of grace for her main characters at a time of utter shock and devastation. In â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find†Read MoreFlannery O Connor Is Considered One Of The Most Successful Writer979 Words   |  4 PagesMary Flannery O’Connor is considered one of the most successful short story writers in history. She composed her works during a period of prosperity and economic boom following World War II. Although the economy was thriving, the 1950’s were a period of struggle for women’s rights, as well as other minorities. (Digital History) Based on her success, one could conclude O’Connor exceeded all barriers against women during the fifties. Flannery O’Connor’s life experiences based on her faith, her novelsRead MoreFlannery O’connor’s Use of Symboli sm, Theme, and Religion1057 Words   |  5 PagesFlannery O’Connor’s Use of Symbolism, Theme, and Religion In this essay I will be covering the similarities, differences, and uniqueness of theme in three of Flannery O’Connor’s short stories. The stories I will be discussing are A Good Man is Hard to Find, Revelation, and Good Country People. O’Connor was considered to be a type of religious propaganda. At least one character in her stories had a name or behavior that reflected religion. Her stories most often had an aggressive twist to them.Read MoreA Good Man By Flannery O Connor1369 Words   |  6 PagesFlannery O’Connor is one of the most controversial and well known modern day Southern Gothic authors in America. When she came into prominence in 1955 with her first collection of short stories titled A Good Man is Hard to Find, it was met with criticism for being overtly violent and grotesque. One reviewer from Time magazine said the short stories were â€Å"witheringly sarcastic† and â€Å"written in a style as balefully direct as a death sentence † (Simpson 44). The reviewer went even further on to callRead MoreIrony and Foreshadowing in Flannery OConnors A Good Man is Hard to Find1604 Words   |  7 PagesAs I read Flannery O’Connor’s short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, I find myself being completely consumed by the rich tale that the author weaves; a tragic and ironic tale that concisely and precisely utilizes irony and foreshadowing with expert skill. As the story progresses, it is readily apparent that the story will end in a tragic and predictable state due to the devices which O’Connor expertly employs and thusly, I find that I cannot stop reading it; the plot grows thicker with everyRead More A Good Man Is Hard To Find Essay638 Words   |  3 Pages Good Man Is Hard To Find A Good Man is Hard to Find Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find is filled with foreshadowing which the first time reader will not grasp, but leaps out of the pages for repeated readers. When first read, A Good Man is Hard to Find, the reader does not value the importance of the grandmother charter and her warning. She is thought to just be a rambling, nagging old lady. Even the grandmother does not realize the importance of what she is saying. The grandmother

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Free Essays

Super Good Days, Good Days, Quite Good Days and Black days, depend on how many cars in a row and what colour they are, for Christopher John Francis Boone. Christopher, aged 15 years and 3 months and 2 days, is different from other boys and girls his age. He knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and although he is gifted with a superbly logical brain, he is autistic. We will write a custom essay sample on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time or any similar topic only for you Order Now The key brilliance to Mark Haddon’s book, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’, is the method in which Christopher’s autism is communicated.Though autism is not something funny but more serious, Haddon still manages to integrate humour and emotion into his writing. This essay will discuss the ways in which Haddon portrays Christopher’s autism, using three of the main ways in which it is communicated throughout the novel. They are: the language that Christopher uses, the emotions and feelings that he has in general and for others, and his likes and dislikes, all conveyed when Christopher is writing his murder mystery story. His language can be viewed when he talks to others and when he writes in his book about the things that happened.One of the best aspects Christopher’s autism is portrayed in is his writing language; its structure and depth tells us a great deal about the challenges an autistic child has when something goes or happens out of order. Haddon writes his book as though Christopher is the author of it; this lets us observe how autism affects his structure of writing. When Christopher writes, he writes short, concise, and to the point sentences but still conveys everything in full detail (either by using ‘andâ₠¬â„¢ extensively in a sentence or writing several sentences until everything is described. This quote is very supportive of this idea as it tells us a great deal about Christopher’s use of written language and about his dilemma of understanding emotion; â€Å"Mother died 2 years ago. I came home from school one day and no one answered the door†¦ † *? Instead of writing sentences and sentences about how Christopher feels about the death of his mother, he merely just states how he found out about it. He quote gives you an idea about how Christopher does not have the feel for fluid and expressive writing like we do, therefore making his writing emotionless.This is as the result of having difficulties in understanding people and how they express emotion. Christopher’s mind cannot process emotions and feelings correctly; instead he reacts by screaming and moaning. When he looks around him he ‘sees everything’. In the following quote Christopher reveals why he sees everything and explains how it makes him feel. â€Å"And when I see a new place, because I see everything, it is like when a computer is doing too many things at the same time and the central processor unit is blocked up and there isn’t any space left to think about other things. .. and I have to close my eyes and put my hands over my ears and groan, which is like pressing CTRL + ALT + DEL and shutting down programs .. . so that I can remember what I am doing and where I am meant to be going. † *? This quote is one of the perfect examples of the difficulties that Christopher, as an autistic boy, has to face in everyday situations. Around a crowd it becomes even harder for him as he doesn’t like that they can talk to you or do things that you don’t expect, so he is obliged to notice everything and things that might happen.Christopher is a great deal better at understanding patterns than understanding and relating to other humans. This is why he is very fond of prime numbers. As well as liking prime numbers, Christopher also has many other likes and dislikes that he is very picky about. Given that Christopher has countless likes and dislikes that he is sensitive about, it almost seems as though he has a type of OCD autism. He doesn’t like certain colours and cannot eat foods of those certain colours, he cannot be touched, has strict timetables, etc.In addition, Christopher also cannot cope with things changing or not happening like they are supposed to. A remarkable quote that exemplifies that is found in chapter 73; â€Å"It is permitted to move the chairs and the table in the kitchen because that is different, but it makes me feel dizzy and sick if someone has moved the sofa and the chairs in the living room or the dining room. † *? Christopher is basically highly receptive to his surroundings and cannot handle certain situations or circumstances. This is also why he can’t have sorts of food touching each other on his plate.Furthermore, Christopher does not lie and metaphors, also considered lies, makes him confused. He truly likes patterns and symmetry in math and he feels comfortable around them; He prefers so called ‘white noise’, solving maths equations and playing games such as Minesweeper. It is phenomenal as to how Mark Haddon accurately describes the autistic individual throughout the novel, which you really notice when you read it as it is a ‘true to life’ story that gives the reader the chance to get inside the brain of such a person.In his choice of written language and the way that Christopher’s emotions and feelings are presented, you are able to find out about the challenges that Christopher faces due to not being competent of understanding other people. Reasons for likes and dislikes are made so much more understandable when presented from the mind of an autistic child than it might be to an outsider looking in.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has become such a successful novel as it is told from Christopher John Francis Boone†™s point of view, shown in the ways in which his autism is communicated throughout the novel. *? [Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Doubleday, 2003, page 22] *? [Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Doubleday, 2003, pages 143-144] *? [Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Doubleday, 2003, page 47] How to cite The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Papers

How to Talk with An Authoritarian Mother Essay Example For Students

How to Talk with An Authoritarian Mother Essay How hard is it to discuss a trip plan with my mom? You dont want to know. When I was preparing to take the SAT test, some of my friends and I hoped we could fly to Hong Kong together. Therefore our parents could save their time and we could have some freedom as well. I thought about the plan seriously and thoroughly before I came to discuss it with my mom, but I was still anxious. I knew it would not have a happy ending. I picked one day, when everything was going well. My mom appeared to be in a good mood. I washed some fruits and took them to my moms room, sat on the sofa next to her, and said, Mom, some of my friends plan to go to HK with me to take the SAT test. We can book the flight and the hotel together. I think it is convenient and economic for us. Can I go with them? , I asked with trepidation. She replied almost without thinking, No, you cannot go there by yourself. It is dangerous. Moreover, the SAT test is so important that we cannot take any risks. Have you considered the accidents and the worst-case scenario? What if you lose your luggage in the airport? What if some bad guy molests you? What if you miss your admission ticket or your passport? What if you cant fall asleep the night before the exam?   All the time, she found me still her little girl, needing her protection and concern. But she didnt realize that I was already 16, although not an adult, I still need some independence and respect. Deep in my heart, I knew she meant for my own well being, but I felt hurt and upset by her distrust and overprotection. Stepping into the parents shoes, I could understand her concern and love, which I would also show to my kids in the future. I also knew that it could hurt her feelings if I did not obey her. However, I didnt want to be an ordinary good girl. I wanted to become a strong independent young woman. Thats why I didnt compromise and decided to fight for my independence in this matter. I think if my mom had admitted that I had grown up and considered my suggestions seriously instead of rejecting them without thinking, I would have been more open to her concerns and advices. I was a little unhappy due to her objection and argued, I am not going to HK by myself; I am going there with my friends. They have experience of going to HK and we can take care of each other. I think it is a good way to train my independence and develop relationship with my friends who are also to American colleges. I tried to clarify my intention in this conversation and pursue her by reasonable argument. I admit that I was defensive because I already assumed her intention were to reject me, as she usually did. My defense made her more defensive and angry. She wanted to show her authority over me but I resisted. Such a vicious circle kept happening between my mom and I. She was too obstinate to admit her fault, while I knew that I was too weak to make qualitative changes. But I didnt give up. My strategy was to just influence her gradually and help  her realize that I had grown up. She became impatient and annoyed, as if I was acting against her on purpose. She said, No way. I will work on my schedule and accompany you to HK. The test is the most important right now. You can develop relationship with your friends in other normal ways, such as studying together, not playing together.   I was infuriated and felt humiliated by her authority and assert. Didnt I know that the SAT test is crucial for my college application,  I thought. Mccarthyism And The Crucible EssayThis behavior not only disrespected me and hurt my feelings, but also prevented her from communicating with me and understanding what happened. However, I did not understand my mom comprehensively either. Even though I said that I understood what she did was for my own good, I used my ego as an excuse to not really consider her concerns. But I should have been aware that in her perspective, I am a teenage girl who had no experience of going to HK or leaving parents for more than one day. She loved me so much that she would try her best to protect me, even if she knew if would hurt my feelings. That is the love and selfishness of every mom in the world, it may have limits, but we cannot blame or try to correct it. So simply fighting for independence could only hurt each of us more without solving the real problem. My mom wanted to see that I am strong and mature enough to take care of myself. If both of us had listened to each others stories without judging and neglecting, the conversation could have had less tension and focused on the main problem of how can I go to Hong Kong safely and whether I am mature enough. As a result, each of us could have been more easily satisfied. Furthermore, we did not deal with the feeling conversation well (Tone, Patton, Heem, Ch. 5). My mom did not care about my feelings, at least not as much as she cared about my safety. I also did not understand my moms worry and concern about me. I should have been aware of her feelings of losing her child and taken care of her emotion. One reason I avoided the feeling conversation was that she, as well as many Chinese traditional parents, could not put herself into her childrens shoes. She believed in the authority of parents and consisted on her rules and ideas, which made the children feel disrespected. Another reason is she was more emotional than I was. If we got involved in feeling conversation, it would be hard to let it go and discuss the real problem. I think it is important for the parent to encourage their children to express their feelings and respect their feelings. Because little kids are very sensitive, once their emotional appeals are not satisfied, it is easy to result in a barrier of expressing true feelings. Such barrier between parents and children are easy to build, but hard to break. Finally, I would like to say that it is really hard for the short side, such as the child to improve our conversation without the cooperation of the dominator, such as the parents. However, there are still things to do to make tiny changes. If we keep working on improving the conversation in the family, we will succeed one day and appreciate the every step helps us move forward. But, I would also like to call for the parents to contribute their efforts to the harmonious communication in the family.