Three elements of a poem - Term Paper Example

Elements of a Poem Elements of a Poem The poem that will be discussed in this essay is “How Do I love Thee” or Sonnet 43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Clugston, 2010). This sonnet was written by Elizabeth to express his love for his husband Robert. An element of the sonnet that one finds interesting is its form. It is a typical sonnet with 14 lines. The rhyme pattern for lines one to eight is ABBA, ABBA while for lines nine to fourteen; it is CD, CD, and CD. The sonnet is written in iambic pentameter, each line having 10 syllables.

One observes that the speaker in the poem is also the author of the poem; it is Elizabeth Browning. Aside from the form, another appealing element of the poem is its theme which is about undying love. It aims to show that love goes beyond life. It is an everlasting devotion to one’s loved one. The universal theme of the sonnet is one of the reasons why it has gained literary acclaim. The major figure of speech used in the sonnet is anaphora or the repetition of a word or phrase. This theme is emphasized through the poet’s repetition of “I love thee” in several lines of the poem.

Of the fourteen lines of the poem, the phrase “I love thee” appears in eight of the lines. The use of anaphora further reinforces the theme of the sonnet. Another figure of speech employed by Browning is the use of alliteration which is the repetition of consonant sounds. Example of these are in line 3, where the words “soul” and “sight” are used and in line 8, where the words “purely” and “Praise” were utilized. Lines seven and eight indicate the presence of similes, which is, “I love thee freely; as men strive for Right, I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise” (Clugston, 2010).

The form, the theme and the figures of speech that one finds in the sonnet has made one appreciate this poem more. It inspires one to fall in love because of the joy that it brings. The sonnet gives one a yearning to learn to love and be loved in the way that is described by the poet. One is affected even after reading only the first two lines “How do I love thee, let me count the ways”. The first two lines impact on the reader is somehow that of irony. It leaves one into thinking whether one can really count the ways, much more, measure the extent of one’s love for another.

It is ironic because at the end of the poem, one realizes that, the number of ways to show love is beyond counting because it an emotion that goes beyond one’s life. This poem is considered by one as very typical of an English love poem which can be described as “topic-centered, direct, passionate, abstract, elaborate, infinite, philosophical, religious, reader-based, and repetitive” (Ying, 2009). One considers the anaphora utilized by Browning as most effective in creating a response to the poem.

It is impossible for one to miss out on the theme of the poem because of the repetition of the line “I love thee”. Overall, one regards this poem as a very powerful expression of one’s love for another. The language and structure of the sonnet all contribute to accentuate the theme of everlasting love. References(2010). Comparison of "How Do I Love Thee" (Elizabeth Browning) and "Prospice" (Robert Browining). In R. W. Clugston, Journey Into Literature. San Diego, California, USA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.Ying, H. (2009).

Genre as social indexicality: A cross-cultural analysis of English and Chinese love poems. Semiotica , 177 (1-4), 197-208.