Shakespeare Sonnets

Today, we began our work with poetry by annotating and analyzing a sonnet by William Shakespeare. At the end of this post, you will see the notes taken by each class.

Some points about sonnets first...

• Sonnets are very orderly and structured. It is easy to think of a sonnet as 3 points followed by the main idea. In other words, it's kind of like an essay in reverse. The first quatrain lays out what the poem will focus on. The second quatrain goes more in detail. The third quatrain shifts to a different point of view. The couplet at the end summarizes the author's main point or purpose.
• The turn is the point where the author's thinking or line of description changes direction. It usually occurs at the beginning of the 3rd quatrain and the beginning of the couplet.
• Metaphors are highly important in sonnets, mostly because sonnets usually describe a person or a scene by comparing it to something else and pointing out its good and bad qualities. 
• Speaking of metaphors, a conceit is an EXTENDED metaphor that usually compares two dissimilar things. Initially, Shakespeare suggests comparing his love to summer's day, but then says she is NOT like that. Saying your true love is nothing like summer might sound harsh on the surface, but when you read the poem, it makes sense.

Here is the full packet for those who were absent