Analysis of the sonnet Essay Example

Analysis of the sonnet Essay Example Analysis of the sonnet Essay Analysis of the sonnet Essay The name Belinda is written in italics in order to draw the readers attention, she is a virgin and would certainly have drawn the attention of men. The pre noun modifier fragrant steams is erotic and sensual, it could also make reference to coffee which was rare and well enjoyed in the sixteenth century. The phrase thousand sprites repair in line eleven is used to mock the style of the epic as the spirits try to interfere with the knights actions. The repetition of thousand in line twelve reinforces the idea that Belinda has spirits and Gods protecting her and the alliteration blown back is a deliberate device used to enhance the humorous tone of the poem. The diamond in her ear creates a sense of luxury and a pure, rich aura around Belinda. Tripling and the repetition of three of the word thrice in lines fourteen and fifteen are important as they build up the scene in order to create more humour and to further show the scene in a trivial light. Belinda s purity is reinforced in line seventeen with as the nosegay (flowers) in her breast reclined referring to her virginity with flowers on her breast. The knights thoughts of desire become impure in lines eighteen to twenty two and in line nineteen the knight realises that Belinda is not as pure as she is believed to be with the pre-modifier lover lurking at her heart emphasising this. The verbs confused and retired suggest that the Gods are abandoning Belinda and are unable to protect her because she is impure. The space left between lines twenty two and twenty three symbolise the Gods leaving. Rape of the lock by Alexander Pope The poem Rape of the lock by Alexander pope is a mock-heroic narrative poem with a humorous indictment of the vanities and idleness of the eighteenth century high society. The poem is written in an elevated, sarcastic tone in which every element of the scene conjures up some image from epic tradition or the classical world view. The poem is written in rhyming couplets and iambic pentameter. Its influence came from a ludicrous quarrel between two families caused by Lord Petre who cut a lock from Miss Arabella Fermor s hair. Pope tried to place this act of sexual harassment in a trivial light through the use of sarcastic, comical tone. The poem begins with a command for human action to mischief mortals bend their will the focus is largely impersonal and the use of an exclamative instruments of ill! in line two emphasises the sarcastic and humorous tone of the poem. The premodifier tempting grace at the end of line three creates an erotic atmosphere as Clarissa draws weapon from her shining case , she has found a weapon for her peer. Line five begins with the conjunction so enforcing the idea of gossip and chattering as Clarissa and her peer conjure up a plan. The nouns knight and spear and the verb fight tells the audience that something serious is about to happen. The verb assist and the noun knight both contribute to creating a sexual and erotic atmosphere. Line sevens use of the verbs reverence and extends emphasises to the audience how serious the knight is about fighting and the pre noun modifier little engine mocks the lock of hair off, with a caesura exaggerating the scene and allowing the audience to pause and realise what is happening. The modifier fatal also over-exaggerates the scene. Line twenty eight is enclosed within brackets, it is supposed to make the scene more tragic but creates a comical effect. The final line of the poem uses the repetition of for ever to emphasise the knights excitement over getting his trophy, a lock of hair! The poem uses a lot of alliteration which is deliberately used to mock the style of the epic. The scissors are referred to with many different names such as spear , weapon , forfex and sheers for an intellectual and mockery purpose. The poem uses elision to support the rhythm and rhyming couplets illustrate the humorous aspect of the poem. The poem is a fable with a moral, a message to modern women not to be so vein.