Sonnets

Elements of Poetry

  • Key components include meter, line, and rhyme.

Meter

  • Definition: The rhythm or pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.

  • Measurement: Meter is measured in units called feet.

  • Types of Feet: The following are the five basic kinds of metric feet:

    • Iambic: Unstressed/stressed (e.g., "bal- loon")

    • Trochaic: Stressed/unstressed (e.g., "so-da")

Line

  • Definition: Metrical units function as the building blocks of lines of verse.

  • Naming of Lines: Lines are categorized based on the number of metric feet:

    • Monometer: One foot

    • Dimeter: Two feet

    • Trimeter: Three feet

    • Tetrameter: Four feet

Scansion

  • Definition: Analysis of the mechanical elements within a poem to determine its meter.

  • Technique: Feet are marked off with slashes (/) and accented with stress/unstress notation.

  • Example: Emily Dickinson's "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" analyzes the meter:

    • Scansion of the Poem

      • Be-cause / I could / not stop / for Death

      • He kind- / ly stopped / for me

      • The Car- / riage held / but just / our-selves

      • And Im- / mor-tal- / i-ty.

  • Identification: The first and third lines have four feet (iambic tetrameter); the second and fourth lines have three feet (iambic trimeter).

Rhyme

  • End Rhyme: Occurs at the ends of verse lines; commonly used.

    • Example: William Blake, "A Poison Tree" - "I was angry with my friend, I told my wrath, my wrath did end."

  • Internal Rhyme: Occurs within a line of verse.

    • Example: Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "Blow, Bugle, Blow"

Types of Rhyme

  • Masculine Rhyme: Only the last, accented syllable corresponds in sound (e.g., Lord Byron's "She Walks in Beauty").

  • Feminine Rhyme: Two consecutive syllables rhyme, with the first syllable carrying the stress (e.g., Alexander Pope's "Vital Spark of Heavenly Flame").

  • Half Rhyme (Slant Rhyme): An imperfect or approximate rhyme (e.g., Dylan Thomas's "Poem on His Birthday").

Sonnet Overview

Definition of a Sonnet

  • Structure: Consists of 14 lines.

  • Meter: Must be in iambic pentameter.

  • Rhyme Scheme: Varies depending on type.

  • Themes: Can cover any subject, frequently love or nature.

  • Argument Setup: Generally presents a problem in the beginning, followed by a resolution or turn.

Types of Sonnet

English (Shakespearean) Sonnet

  • Structure: Three quatrains followed by a couplet.

  • Rhyme Scheme: abab cdcd efef gg.

  • Turn: Occurs after eight or ten lines.

Italian (Petrarchan) Sonnet

  • Structure: Composed of an octave and a sestet.

  • Rhyme Scheme: Begins with abbaabba; variations of c, d, e to end the sestet.

  • Turn: Occurs between the octave and sestet.

Example Analysis of "What the Sonnet Is"

  • Rhyme Scheme: abbaabba cdcdcd.

  • Structure: Consists of 14 lines with the description of groups of fourteen before the turn and reflections on sonnets after.

  • Turn: Identified between the eighth and ninth lines marked by a period, indicating a thematic shift.

  • Conclusion: Identified as an Italian/Petrarchan sonnet.