Sonnet. A sonnet is a fourteen-line rhyming poem, often on the subject of love. The meter, or rhythm, used in most sonnets is called iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter consists of ten beats per line. As you read "Sonnet XXX," count the number of syllables, or beats, in each line of this sonnet.
Rhyme Scheme. A rhyme scheme is a pattern of end rhymes, or rhymes at the ends of lines of verse. The rhyme scheme of a poem is designated by matching letters, with matching letters signifying matching sounds. As you read "Sonnet XXX," note which lines in this poem rhyme.
Repetition. Repetition is a writer’s conscious reuse of a sound, word, phrase, sentence, or other element. Note the use of repetition in"Sonnet XXX."
Alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds. Some writers also use the term to describe repeated initial vowel sounds. Look for the use of alliteration in “Sonnet XXX.”
Free Verse. Free verse is poetry that avoids use of regular rhyme, meter, or division into stanzas. As you read, note evidence that “A Story” is a free verse poem.
Narrative Poem. A narrative poem is a verse that tells a story. As you read "A Story," decide whether this selection is a narrative poem.
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Love has been a favorite subject for sonnet writers. Some of the most famous lines in poetry come from love sonnets: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways” is from Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “Sonnet XLIII,” and “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” is the first line of Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18.” The sonnet sequences of the greatest poets celebrate love. Petrarch’s Canzoniere is a collection of poems about his love for a woman named Laura. Sir Philip Sidney’s Astrophel and Stella was inspired by the poet’s passion for Penelope Deveraux, who would later marry another. Edmund Spenser’s Amoretti commemorated his courtship of Elizabeth Boyle. Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Sonnet XXX,” which tells of Millay’s own great love, continues the long tradition.
“A Story” is about a father who is afraid of disappointing his son because he cannot think of a new story to tell him. It has long been known that children whose parents read to them become better readers and writers as they grow older, and usually develop a lifelong love for books. However, children can also be taught important lessons and learn about a parent’s values and dreams during storytime. The father may be hoping that the lessons he communicates to his child will be enough to sustain him over
a lifetime.
Sonnet XXX: What has love meant to you the last year? What has it meant to you over your lifetime?
A Story: Write about a time someone read to you when you were a child.
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