Understanding Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare

Introduction: Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare is poem where the persona who is immensely in love with his beloved, deeply admires his love and compares her with summer. The comparison is done based on the beauty of summer’s day and its wonders. However, the persona finds his belove being more beautiful than summer and its elements; the sun, flowers, nature’s movements, and the summer of his heart and life is and will be forever beautiful and warm. Besides that his beloved’s beauty is eternal. Life is full of meaning to the persona as the beauty of his life remains forever. Even as summer fades, the love of his life will remain intact as long as people are alive to read and appreciate the beauty of his beloved in the poem. Theme: the theme of this poem is immortalising beauty and love which is reflected by the persona’s thoughts, ideas &; feelings, captured magically and embodied in the sonnet, revealing his beloved’s internal beauty which is everlasting as long as people kept on reading it with appreciation.  Tone: As we know, tone refers to the feelings, attitudes perceptions and experiences of the persona. Since in sonnet 18, the persona  feels deep admiration for his beloved as he compares two elements of nature: the season and his beloved, therefore he has high-spirits and he has a positive outlook on life. He believes his beloved is an eternal beauty and faces no death, as she is immortal through the poem. The persona is hopeful, happy and forward-looking.    Moral values The poem deals with eternal love and appreciation of a beautiful person.We learn to appreciate nature, as nature has both its strong and weak points.  The poem reminds us that there is nothing that would last forever. The beautiful person that is compared to summer is said to last forever, as long as men read and appreciate the poem. The poet teaches us to appreciate poetry to understand the messages that the poet wishes to convey to the readers.  The poem also teaches us to think about life and death. Life is a mystery to be lived, while death ends everything. But the beauty of the persona’s beloved lives forever and there is no death for her. The poem acts as a document of history which keeps the persona’s love alive over periods of time, and allows his beloved to live forever. She becomes immortal and her eternal summer lasts forever. Using Language To Convey Language The weaknesses of summer are shown through these phrases used by the poet in the poem:      ‘shake the darling buds of May’      ‘too short a date’      ‘too hot the eyes of heaven shines’      ‘gold complexion dimm’d’      ‘fair from fair sometimes declines’      ‘nature’s changing course, untrimm’d’ The beauty of his beloved is shown through these phrases used by the poet in the poem:      ‘eternal summer shall not fade’      ‘possession of that fair thou ows’t’      ‘Death brag thou wand’rest in his shade’      ‘eternal lines to time thou grow’st’      ‘fair from fair sometimes declines’      ‘nature’s changing course, untrimm’d’ In the last two lines (couplet), the poet reinforces the truth that his love will live through time and forever. This is possible, as long as people are alive and read the poem. The poem will be around forever to let the world know about her true eternal beauty, which surpasses summer many folds. This can be noted in the couplet (Lines 13-14):       ‘men can breathe, or eyes can see’      ‘lives this and this gives life to thee’ Personification The poet makes the elements of nature behave like a person or have human qualities.  The sun is described as ‘the eye of heaven’ and the pronoun ‘his’ is used to show its gloominess ‘his gold complexion dimm’d’. The use of the word ‘complexion’ also relates to a person’s physical characteristic .

The Road Not Taken

Robert Frost’s poems are  very interesting as they touch the nature revealing an appealing atmosphere and inviting comfort .  The Road not taken is of his poems which have themes that are related to us..... as we walk on the pathway of our lives.

Synopsis:

This poem is about the poet who is enjoying his walk in the woods. He came to a point where the road branched into two. He had to make a choice to choose which road to travel, so he stood there wondering which one to take. Then , he decided to choose the less travelled one. He hopes that he can return on the other day and explore the other road.  However, he did not get the chance to do so as the road he choose took him further and further in life. After many years, he looked back and ponders about his decision he had made many years ago. The choice he had made many years ago have brought a great influence upon his life(shaped his life) and eventually making him the man he is today.

Setting

It is autumn season and the leaves are changing colour (yellow). As we know autumn period of life is reflecting  the late middle age of life. Besides that it happens  in a lonely forest/woods in the countryside  one early morning. There are two roads running through the forest. At the beginning of the poem the persona is still young (flashback) and he has become much older when it reaches  the last stanza.

Themes

There are a few interesting themes:

o   The need to make choices in life

o   We have to choose between two equally good option wisely

o   The choice may make all the difference in our lives

o   As human beings, we most probably look back , wonder and regret that we are unable to choose both the options or choose the other option. (regret/sadness)

o   So, choose wisely and accept the challenges and consequences of the choice. Be bold, creative, original and adventurous in taking up challenges few people choose.  Be brave to explore the opportunities and possibilities that we face along the road we have chosen.  (satisfied/happiness)

Moral Values:

And below are the moral values that we can draw lessons from:

o   We have to take the opportunities that life has to offer us to make a choice

o   Think carefully before we make choices

o   We have to make the right choice and understand ourselves

o   Should not have the feeling of regret for our choice

o   If we make the right choice, we can have a contended life

o   Appreciate the beauty of nature

Tone: (poet’s attitude)

The tone of this poem are conversational, reflective, rich in wisdom, quiet, firm. From line 13 onwards= note of regret and in the end =satisfied

Mood:(inner feeling of the persona)

The mood of the poem shows  thoughtful and contemplative

Atmosphere :( external feeling of the happening)

The atmosphere reflects  loneliness and also  nostalgic

Below I extract some poetic devices  and figurative language used in the poem:

Poetic Devices

1.       Imagery

o   Lone traveller

o   Life as a journey (full of paths to explore)

o   Wood in the autumn (yellow)

o   Road (one is grassy & more appealing that the other

2.       Symbol

o   Yellow wood = represents life/ the maturity or mellowing of the individual

o   Yellow leaves= represents the rich experiences that life has to offer

o   In leaves no step had trodden black= shows that the leaves were not walked upon by anyone/the path is unexplored

o   Diverging road= symbolizes  two options that appear equally good

o   Journey along one of the road= symbolic of the journey one takes through life

 Figurative Language

o   Metaphor

        I.  The road is a metaphor for the journey of life

      II.  The two roads is compared to the two choices in life

    III.  The poet compares himself to a traveler

    IV.   The undergrowth at the end of one of the roads is the obstacles and challenges/ it is also hard to see what the future held for him

      V.  The grass on one of the roads had hardly been stepped on, it means not many people had chosen that kind of life

o   personification

        I.  the road= the choice in life

The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;         5   Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,         10   And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.         15   I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.