GCSE (9-1): Literature: Poetry: AQA Love and Relationships: Sonnet 29 - 'I Think of Thee: Language

general linguistic style of 'Sonnet 29 - 'I think of thee!'

the poem is dominated by metaphoric language

metaphor definition

a linguistic technique which describes something or someone as something completely different; it makes no sense on a literal level, but helps the reader to see the world through the eyes of the speaker, eg, ' O my palm-tree,'

effects of Barrett-Browning's metaphoric language, eg, ' O my palm-tree,'

depicts the natural world as a metaphor for human emotions and her emotions about her future husband

extended metaphor definition

also known as a conceit or sustained metaphor, is an author's exploitation of a single metaphor or analogy at length throughout a poem or story

extended metaphor in 'Sonnet 29 - 'I think of thee!'

Barrett-Browning explores human emotions through natural imagery throughout the poem

diction definition

the choice and use of words in speech or writing

diction in 'Sonnet 29 - 'I think of thee!'

diction of thoughts: 'I think of thee! - my thoughts do twine ... my thoughts instead of thee ... I do not think of thee'

sibilance definition

repetition of soft sounds such as /s/, /sh/ or /z/

general effects of sibilance

can reflect or create a soft, calm atmosphere or can create a hissing, sinister sound

effects of sibilance in 'Rustle thy boughs and set,'

creates a soft, calm sound to reflect the sense of harmony and tenderness: symbolic of the theme of love

Verse

a line of poetry

foot

a measuring unit in poetry, which is made up of stressed and unstressed syllables; a specific combination of feet creates meter in poetry

Syllable

the pronunciation of a vowel sound within a word

Meter

a stressed and unstressed syllabic pattern in a verse

iamb

a metrical pattern of 1 unstressed syllable followed by 1 stressed syllable (2 feet - da-DUM), eg, 'We STOOD by a POND that WINter DAY'

pentameter

repetition of a metrical pattern 5 times; in the case of iambic pentameter it makes 10 syllables all together, per line - da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM

iambic pentameter

a classic metrical structure of 1 unstressed syllable followed by 1 stressed syllable (2 feet - da-DUM); this pattern is repeated 5 times making 10 syllables all together per line - da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM

metre in 'Sonnet 29 - 'I think of thee!''

There is a mix of feet throughout this poem though overall it can be scanned as iambic pentameter, that is, iambic beats are the more obvious compared to others

typical function of iambic pentameter

often used to reflect natural speech; typically also used with serious, important topics, to give an elevated tone and give a sense of harmonious, controlled rhythm and is common in ballads and narratives

effects of iambic pentameter in 'Sonnet 29 - 'I think of thee!''

the metre tries to conform to the iambic pentameter rhythmical structure but sometimes ends on 9 or 11 beats rather than 10 and even the ones with 10 bears are not strictly iambic; this is, perhaps, a reflection of the speaker's desire to maintain some form of control or balance in over her thoughts but the irregularities in the metre suggest that this is not possible, however, the circular structure suggests a resolution has been found