discussions-Sonnet 138: When my love swears that she is made of truth

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oruhzoyr123

Humanities

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1.First, read 18 and 55. Your Discussion post will be a paraphrase of (you expressing the sonnet’s meaning, but in your own words) and response to (telling what the sonnet made you think about) a sonnet of your choice. Therefore, it will be nice to have examples of how other students have paraphrased a sonnet. Under Content, Week 4: Module 2, the 16th Century (Part 2) I have 2 student samples for you to read. These would be good to look at to see how other students have worked with a sonnet of their choice.2.Then read the following sonnets: 30, 50, 61, 71, 87, 97, 129, 130, 138, 147As you read, think about which sonnet/s you’re reacting to. Which ones are speaking to you personally? Decide which one or two you like the best and want to analyze. Incidentally, if you are poking around and find you really love a sonnet I haven’t chosen for the class to read, you may analyze that one instead.

( i choose 138)https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50386/sonne...

1.To paraphrase the sonnet

2.To explain how/why you react to what the sonnet’s speaker is saying. What does it make you think about?


resources

https://quizlet.com/12315079/sonnet-termspoetry-te...

http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/


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1 Sample: Sonnet Paraphrase and Response Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 addresses a woman of great beauty. The sonnet uses descriptions of nature, and the power and images that they imply, and directly compares them to the beauty his love possesses. Shakespeare finds that the beauty and power of nature do not compare to the beauty and power of the young lady. He uses his poem as a way to provide her with an eternal existence. This poem spoke to me because it made me think about how deep the speaker’s love for the woman is, and how art truly can make someone alive forever. In the first quatrain the sonnet’s speaker begins his comparison between the girl and nature by comparing her to a summer’s day. The image suggests illumination, a pleasing temperature, brilliance, light, and life. Shakespeare feels the same way about the young woman; she is in her prime, in her glory, full of life and beautiful. However, at this point, he realizes that he’s made a mistake in his comparison. “Thou art more lovely and more temperate” (l. 2). He knows that his language and comparison are inadequate in trying to express the way he feels. He knows that comparing her to a summer’s day does not do justice to the feelings he has. The girl is more perfect than the beauty of a summer’s day. Shakespeare questions the idea of her being as gorgeous as a summer’s day and then ups the ante by saying she is more impressive. This is a great compliment and establishes that the feelings that Shakespeare has for her go beyond those of friendship or admiration. He loves her. The following lines offer explanations of why the comparison to a summer’s day is not good enough. Shakespeare begins to show all of summer’s imperfections, beginning with the example that rough winds come in May and disturb the darling 2 flowers. May is a time in the year when the weather starts to warm up and flowers are in full bloom--- the very beginning of summer. Shakespeare again uses a force of nature when he speaks of the wind. The image suggested is that of the hot wind of May coming and blowing petals off of the beautiful flowers. In contrast, the wind may be a metaphor for problems and obstacles in life and how the young woman is not affected— she can’t be shaken. “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May...” (l. 3) The summer may have imperfections but the girl does not. The speaker is happily blinded by his love. In his eyes, she can do no wrong. Shakespeare continues in his explanation of the inadequacy of summer. It may be beautiful at times, but it is important to realize that it only lasts for a period of time during the year--- “And summer’s lease hath all too short a date (l. 4). This comparison implies that the girl’s beauty lasts all year long; there is no limit on it and there is no time clock ticking to end it. The issue of time is one of great importance in this poem. Shakespeare feels as though the girl is not subject to time or age. Summer’s glory and beauty may end, but hers will not. Shakespeare expresses that the sun shines too much some days and it is too hot. Other days the sun’s face is hidden by clouds and it is overcast. His personification of the sun lends a hand to comparison. The sun is too hot, but the girl is, as before, temperate. The sun’s golden complexion may be hidden by clouds but her beauty and golden complexion are never hindered or hidden. The speaker believes that all the power the sun possesses, brilliance, heat, color, blindness, and life are nothing compared to the power and perfection of the girl. “And every fair from fair sometimes declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimmed:” (l. 7-8). By saying that 3 every fair from fair declines, Shakespeare is saying that every beautiful thing, at some point, grows less and less beautiful and that it reaches the point when it can never be as beautiful as when it first came into being. All beautiful things will fall from perfection. Like summer, beauty has a time limit on it. This is not the case with the young woman. Her beauty will never dim, nor wilt like the flowers in the wind, nor lessen, nor be covered like the sun may be. She will always retain the state of perfection. The next line shows that beauty fails because of chance accidents or by the change of nature’s course. This again ties in to the idea that a summer’s day is unpredictable and subject to change. This again is not true for the girl. At this point Shakespeare has finished explaining how summer is an inadequate comparison to the young lady and begins to explain his promise. “But thy eternal summer shall not fade…” The eternal summer represents the eternity of her perfection. The eternal summer won’t ever fade and it will never lose its original beauty. Shakespeare finally declares that the reason that the girl will always be immortal and in perfect state is death has no power over her. “Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade...” (l. 11). Unlike Death’s eventual victory over every living thing, it will not have any effect on her. She will always and forever be captured in Shakespeare’s verse and because of these lines will remain immortal and will grow as time grows. “So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this give life to thee” (l. 13-14). This final part of Shakespeare’s promise explains that as long as humans inhabit the earth, the verse will always exist, and because of the existence of the verse, she will live on forever in the words. His image and beauty will always be captured in time and because it is captured, she will remain immortal. 4 This sonnet is really beautiful and has many layers. It spoke to me because my mother died recently, and I wish I had said some things to her I just never took the time to. Now I will never have the chance. I asked my girlfriend to read the poem because I didn’t understand it at first, but then she helped me see and think about many connections to myself. I must have read this thirty times now, and each time I read it I see something new. I was always raised to be tough and strong, so this kind of opened up a new side to me. At first I thought these poems were going to be too “chick lit” for me, but then I started thinking, “Hey, this was written by a guy and he wasn’t afraid to say how he felt.” I’m still the loner type and keep my feelings to myself, but this sonnet helped me see it’s ok to express them sometimes too. While I still have a chance.
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Sonnet 138 Paraphrase
When my love swears that she is made of truth,
When my mistress claims that she is telling the truth,
I do believe her, though I know she lies,
I believe her, even though I know she is lying,
That ...

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