: Write Your Own Sonnet
Write your own sonnet either Shakespearean or Italian, or choose any sonnet we have NOT discussed in class (no 18,29,130of Shakespeare) ()No Donne sonnet 10, no Milton sonner 69 or 70, no Keats 152, and no Browning sonnet 14). Then, in an accompanying paper, analyze how you or the author used the sonnet form and other conventions of poetry to enhance and deliver the theme. Obviously, your thesis will mention both the techniques and the theme as you see it. Refer to your notes, the poetry terms and your text, but DO NOT consult any other outside sources for their interpretation of the poem. Break it down into its parts and figure out what is making it “tick,” what adds layers to its complexity, what outward and seemingly “accidental” touches (which we realize aren’t) reinforce meaning. Obviously, to do this, you must refer directly to the text of the poem, quoting lines and phrases as examples.
AVOID simply paraphrasing the poem. While poetic language can be a bit puzzling and so lend itself to “translation,” that is not analysis. Instead, you must show what the author is doing to get to that meaning.
Paper must be approximately four pages long, typed, double-spaced in twelve point font in MLA format. That means: no title pages, a title that reflects the thesis of the paper (not the title of the poem), one inch margins all around, proper headings, and page numbers with headers.
