Analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 55

Leif Park Jordan
Ms. Peifer
10 IB Hour 4
19 February 2009
Analysis of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 55
Shakespeare’s purpose in his Sonnet 55 is two-fold: first, he wants to emphasize the importance, strength, and general goodness of poetry when compared to other, more worldly things, and second, he wants to compliment the subject of his poem, praising them in a way that implies rather than directly states their excellence. This purpose is achieved through allusions to various religions, alternating destructive and complementary diction, symbolism, and seemingly paradoxical comparisons.
There are several allusions in Sonnet 55, ranging from outright name-dropping to more subtle references to Judgment Day. First, Shakespeare references Roman mythology when he writes, “Nor Mars with his sword…shall burn” (7). This allusion helps show the sort of destruction that will occur in everything but poetry. Mars is the god of war, slaughtering everything in his path, and saying that the poem will survive this kind of destruction speaks novels about its power. The second religious allusion takes place when Shakespeare writes, “That wear this world out to the ending doom. So, till the judgement that yourself arise,” (12-13). This is a reference to the biblical judgement day; the end of the world. Saying that the poem will survive until the very end of the world implies that it is extremely strong and resilient.
The destructive diction of the poem gives Shakespeare’s message in much the same way the allusions do, by showing how resilient poetry is. Shakespeare uses words such as “wasteful war,” (5) “overturn,” (5) and “war’s quick fire,” (7) to show how most things are destroyed through war and strife. This helps show that poetry is powerful for being able to survive it. The poem’s complementary diction helps with the poem’s other purpose: to compliment the subject. It uses words like “shine more bright,” (3) “praise,” (10) and “lover’s eyes,” (14) all of which show Shakespeare’s affection for the subject.
There is some symbolism in Sonnet 55 which helps Shakespeare’s purpose. The statues referenced when Shakespeare writes “When wasteful war shall statues overturn,” (5) represent material and worldly representations of the subject such as portraits, statues, and so on. These lines show that material representations of the subject will eventually be destroyed, but the poem will live on afterward. This shows, again, how important and strong poetry is.
Early in the sonnet, there is a paradoxical comparison that makes the reader think more carefully about the poem, increasing its impact. Shakespeare writes “But you shall shine more bright in these contents / than unswept stone besmear’d with sluttish time,” (3-4) which is a paradox at first glance. Shakespeare is saying that the subject is more bright than something that is dirty and smudged, which isn’t much of a compliment at all. This passage, however, makes the reader focus more carefully, which in turn leads them to think more carefully about the poem.

More thoughts on the usefulness of this blog

As any reader of this blog can clearly see, I don't update this much. I've ended up turning in most of my assignments in directly even with the blog, since it's not worth the effort to type it out after I've already written it out by hand. Even when I have something typed out, I don't usually take the time to even copy paste it into the blog, since it's already been turned in. Essentially, this means this blog hasn't seen much use since the end of first quarter, since we haven't even gone to the computer lab to work on it.
I definitely see the reason for making the blogs - it gets us more involved with technology, and I think it's a good step, but I'm not entirely certain that it's worth doing until we have constant access to a computer at all times at school, instead of having to go to the lab. At some point I think I'll upload everything that I already have typed up, but honestly, I doubt many people besides Ms. Peifer are actually reading this blog.

A Commentary on Beowulf

“Then he who had harrowed the hearts of men / with pain and affliction in former times / and had given offence also to God / found that his bodily powers failed him. / Hygelac’s kinsman kept him helplessly / locked in a handgrip. As long as either lived, / he was hateful to the other. The monster’s whole / body was in pain, a tremendous wound / appeared on his shoulder. Sinews split / and the bone-lappings burst. Beowulf was granted / the glory of winning; Grendel was driven / under the fen-banks, fatally hurt, / to his desolate lair. His days were numbered, / the end of his life was coming over him, / he knew it for certain; and one bloody clash / had fulfilled the dearest wishes of the Danes. / The man who had lately landed among them, / Proud and sure, had purged the hall, / kept it from harm; he was happy with his nightwork / and the courage he had shone.”

(808-827)

These lines from Beowulf exemplify the essence of its story. They represent the greatest aspects of the story, all rolled into one short section. It has a battle between Beowulf and a powerful monster, it has kennings, it has alliteration, it has strong imagery, it has religious themes, and it’s an important point in the plot. It continues themes that are shown through the entire story, and is something that the rest of the story references back to this point.

In terms of language, this section of the story reinforces previously used literary devices and language. Like the rest of the story, this part uses kennings and alliteration. The alliteration shows up in quotes like “sinews split,” (816) and “under the fen-banks, fatally hurt,” (818). The kennings show up in quotes like “Hygalec’s kinsman,” (812) which is a simple one that refers to Beowulf, and “he who had harrowed the hearts of men,” (808) referring to Grendel. These two devices give the story a more poetic feel.

More important in this section, however, is the imagery that appears throughout the story. It’s particularly powerful here, as shown by the quote, “a tremendous wound appeared on his shoulder. Sinews split and the bone-lappings burst,” (816) which is quite powerful. It makes the reader feel as if they’re there, actually witnessing Beowulf ripping Grendel’s arm off, which is a great effect for a story to achieve.

The other primary thing this part of the story achieves is the reinforcement of previously introduced themes. One such theme is the theme of religion and how it aids Beowulf. It says, “… and had given offence to God,” (810) implying that God had some part in Beowulf’s victory. It also continues the theme of courage and strength in battle, where it says “Proud and sure, he had purged the hall, kept it from harm; he was happy with his nightwork and the courage he had shown,” (826). This quote shows how Beowulf’s victory makes his courage apparent, and the fact that they mentioned it at all clearly shows that it’s important.

This passage was chosen because of its powerful impact on the reader and impact on the story. As was mentioned earlier, it is referenced several times later in the story, cementing its importance throughout the rest of the story. It also has a great impact on the reader. As mentioned earlier, the imagery makes this section come to life for the reader, making them feel as if they’re really there, a powerful impact. In summary, this section of Beowulf uses its literary devices to reinforce previous themes and draw the reader in, which is what makes it powerful.

Beowulf LRJ #2 (#1 to come soon)

Leif Park Jordan
Ms. Peifer
10 IB Hour 4
4 December 2008
LRJ #2

1. Several more values of Beowulf's society become evident in the second section. The first value is that of revenge. Revenge plays a large part in causing the story, since the Grendel and his mother were essentially killed to get revenge for their slaying of Hrothgar's subjects. The general belief seems to be that revenge is better than simple mourning. As Beowulf says, "...do not grieve. It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning... Let whoever can win glory before death." (1384) This shows how Beowulf believes that it is much better to avenge the fallen then simply mourn them.
Another value that is shown is family. This one is shown more indirectly - no character actually says that family is important, but many characters are referred to by their fathers instead of simply their own names. The fact that this is even done shows that they believe that family is important. A few examples of this are "He waas Yrmenlaf's elder brother..." (1324), "Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow, spoke..." (1383), and "Unferth, te strong-built son of Ecglaf..." (1467). These show how people identify themselves by their family, fathers, and brothers, showing how they value family.

2. As a fantastic story about heroes and monsters, Beowulf is quite unrealistic (not that this is a bad thing). One place this is shown is in the fight with Grendel. For example, Grendel, "Grabbed thirty men from their resting places..." (122). Clearly, this would be very difficult for a monster that is roughly human-shaped, so it's unrealistic. Another unrealistic part is when Beowulf rips Grendel's arm off. "Sinews split and and the bone-lappings burst," (817). Again, it would be nearly impossible for someone to break bone and sinew with their bare hands, especially the bone and sinew of someone who can lift 30 men. Another unrealistic part is when he swims to the bottom of the lake: "It was the best part of a day before he could see the solid bottom." This is unrealistic for a couple of reasons: no one could hold their breath for that long, and very few lakes are anywhere near that deep.

3. One of my favorite quotes from this section is "...heaved his war-sword and swung his arm: the decorated blade came down ringing and singing on her head. But he soon found his battle-torch extinguished: the shining blade refused to bite," (1520). This quote, for me, is an excellent example of what Beowulf is and is about. It has a kenning in it, it describes a battle, and it contains interesting and engaging descriptions of the action that nonetheless give you a clear idea of what is going on in the story. This, for me, is what Beowulf is all about.

Order in the Court!

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I am here today to convince you of the guilt of Antigone, who has willfully and unlawfully violated the decree set down by King Creon and buried her brother, Polyneices. She has attempted to defend herself by saying that, “it was not Zeus that had published me that edict; not such are the laws set among men by the justice who dwells with the gods below; nor deemed I that thy decrees were of such force, that a mortal could override the unwritten and unfailing statutes of heaven,” (Sophocles, 85). This, however, is not the point. Regardless of whether her actions violated the “unfailing statutes of heaven,” Antigone has violated mortal law, and must be punished for her misdeeds.

Antigone’s own sister, Ismene, supports her guilt as well. She says “Howbeit, the offence is the same for both of us,” (Sophocles, 126), implying that they have both committed the crime.

King Creon has been quite clear in his will: he has stated “leave him unburied, a corpse for birds and dogs to eat, a ghastly sight of shame. Such the spirit of my dealing; and never, by deed of mine, shall the wicked stand in honour before the just…” (Sophocles, 37). Antigone has directly violated this edict, and so she is guilty.

The most obvious proof of all, however, is that Antigone herself has admitted repeatedly to her crime. She has said, “I avow it; I make no denial,” (Sophocles, 81), clearly stating that she has committed a crime. Whether or not other witnesses can be believed, the truth comes straight from Antigone’s mouth. She is guilty, and must be sentenced.

Relics from the past...

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient newspaper in Thebes! Only one article seems to have survived, however. It's translated here:
Polyneices Buried!
Reports have come in from the battlefield near Thebes that Polyneices, exiled and shunned prince of Thebes, has been given burial rites by his sister, Antigone, against the wishes of her father, King Creon. Creon was quoted as saying, "He who does his duty in his own household will be found righteous in the State also. But if any one transgresses, and does violence to the laws, or thinks to dictate to his rulers, such an one can win no praise from me. No, whomsoever the city may appoint, that man must be obeyed..." Nevertheless, it appears that Antigone has gone against her father's will and has given her traitor brother proper Greek burial rites, greatly angering her father, who has sentanced her to death.
Not all agree with the King's decision, however. Prince Haimon, son of Creon, has apparently sided with Antigone, asking his father to "Nay, forego thy wrath; permit thyself to change." Creon has given him no punishment
As a state owned newspaper, the Thebian Times supports Creon in his decision, and hopes that all who violate his will are brought to justice.
Antigone could not be reached for comment.

Technology, Blogging, and the Information Age

We are living in the age of information. With sites such as Wikipedia and Google, we have an incredible amount of information and work right at our fingertips, simply waiting for someone to come along and look for it. We are more connected to each other than we have ever been, through sites such as Facebook and, of course, blogging. This wealth of knowledge and connection has incredible application for schools.
Focusing on blogging for the moment, I think that this method of giving our thoughts on literature is quite effective. Using a blog for assignments makes it much easier for our teacher to look at and grade our assignments, while allowing us students to make corrections and do work on our own time. Doing assignments on a computer also gives us easy access to all the useful information on the internet. For example, if we need to find a quote from, say, the Iliad, a quick google search takes care of it (it's the second result). This makes it easier to cite our work and find things that we didn't anticipate needing. I also like the way that this method mirrors the real world, where technology will undoubtedly be a large part of our lives.
I might be a bit biased, being a self described technology nerd, but I like how we're starting to integrate this kind of thing into school. It makes everything more efficient. Again, this may be different for other people. I've always been comfortable around technology, since my dad gave me an introduction when I was quite young. I'm sure there are some who prefer to actually put pencil to paper and write out their thoughts, but I like blogging - it gives me a chance to edit as I go, and I like the way I can easily read other peoples' entries.
Edit: There is one issue I see with using blogs for assignments. English has been my only class that doesn't consistently assign homework, and blogging has changed that: we now have to do blog posts at home fairly often. If this can be kept to a minimum, I won't have a problem.