When a student memorizes a poem by heart and practices recitation, they begin to make recitation decisions based upon the poem’s meaning. For one, practicing the poem’s pacing, syntactical structure, and language yields a whole new level of understanding. While poetry recitation may seem a thing of the past, there are still many reasons why it still matters and makes a difference in comprehending a poem’s meaning. These images work to relay the message that beauty does not last forever.Īssignment: Students can circle images in a sonnet and then label the tone and tone shift of the sonnet to determine how tone affects the overall theme.
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These images convey a harsh, downtrodden tone due to the decline of beauty as depicted by the dimming sun. For example in “Sonnet 18,” Shakespeare uses the images: “Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, / And often is his gold complexion dimm’d, / And every faire from faire some-time declines ”. Shakespeare communicates the tone of his work through the choice of images used to describe the situation. When it comes to Shakespeare’s writing, imagery is KEY! He was a master of language and of painting a picture with words. The allusion serves as a means of emphasizing a key thematic idea of “Sonnet 18,” adding another thematic dimension to the sonnet.Īssignment: Students can research the allusions within a Shakespearean sonnet and then analyze how the allusions emphasize thematic ideas within the sonnet. In “Sonnet 18,” Shakespeare alludes to The Bible in line 11 when the speaker refers to the 23rd Psalm with reference to Death’s “shade.” Psalm 23 reads: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me: your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The connection between Death’s “shade” and the “valley of the shadow of death” reminds the reader in both texts that our days are limited and that life is finite. Shakespeare is known for using allusions to add depth to his writing as well as to illustrate literary elements such as characterization. Then, have students analyze each part to identify the structure of the sonnet’s message and how the structure communicates the sonnet’s overall message. Still others, such as “Sonnet 18,” begin with a comparison that leads to a conclusion in the rhyming couplet at the end.Īssignment: Have students label the three quatrains and the rhyming couplet of the sonnet.
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Some sonnets are formatted in a problem/solution format while others are organized in a question/ answer format. It goes without saying that sonnet structure serves as the organizational structure for the thematic messages.