Interview a Relative/Friend/Colleague About a Sonnet (with commentary) - Essay Example

Interview a Friend about a Sonnet While in the modern world popular music has assumed a dominant position, for many centuries poetry and sonnets functioned as a primary means of emotional expression. The nature of the sonnet form can be appreciated through a textual analysis. However, oftentimes these works take on new meaning as they are read aloud and experienced. As a means of examining the sonnet form, this essay read aloud a sonnet to a friend and interviewed them about their perspectives.

The specific Sonnet that was read aloud to a friend was William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29. After reading Sonnet 29 to my friend my first question was how this sonnet worked in their ears and eyes. The first time reading the sonnet my friend had difficulty discerning any meaning, but indicated that it sounded very musical. In this way one considers that the very structure of the sonnet -- outside of the actual meaning -- is already constructed in a way to appeal to the reader or listener. The next question was how this poem worked in their mind.

After reading the sonnet for a second time the meaning seems to have more thoroughly emerged. In this way they indicated that they had a strong mental connection to the sonnet. The sonnet is about a man who is in a desperate situation, however is happy whenever he thinks of a specific woman. My friend indicated that Shakespeare very powerfully described the nature of this man’s depression and despondency. Half-jokingly they indicated that Shakespeare was very successful in articulating stalker or obsessive symptoms as if they were romantic.

This insight seems to have some partial truth in that Shakespeare is clearly masterful at articulating these vagaries of human emotion in an uplifting and poignant way. My friend indicated that their definition of poetry is that the text takes on the form of poetic expression. This includes stanzas, rhyme scheme, and other atypical forms of language. They indicated that they clearly believed this work was a poem, as it contains iambic pentameter and is in stanza form. They said that the most beautiful thing about the poem is the transition the speaker makes between speaking of their sadness and the way that the thoughts of the woman make them happy.

They indicated that this is a highly uplifting portion of the work. They said that the most unlikeable part of the sonnet was the explication of the reasons the speaker is sad or depressed. This section they indicated is just depressing to listen to. Finally, they indicated that if the poem was a machine it would be an air conditioner. The reason they indicated that it would be an air conditioner is that this machine takes a bad and uncomfortable situation and turns it into a positive, just as the woman turns the speaker’s despondency into a positive situation.

In conclusion, this essay constitutes an interview with a friend about Sonnet 29. Within this context of investigation, the individual demonstrated that they believed the sonnet was a highly poignant poem. They marveled at Shakespeare’s mastery of language and expression. Finally, they indicated the poem, if it was a machine, would be an air conditioner.