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Reading Response: Sonnet 29 Aaron James Faulkner ENG125: Introduction to Literature Professor Raymond Nowak 29 January 2012 Reading Response: Sonnet 29 The poem I have chosen to evaluate is Sonnet 29 by William Shakespeare (1609), which has an iambic pentameter rhythm pattern. The three literary elements I will explore are tone, conflict and style. William Shakespeare is arguably known as the greatest English-language writer of drama and poetry (Clugston, 2010). The tone of Sonnet 29 is that of depression.
The opening line says “in disgrace with Fortune and men’s eyes” which means he is having bad luck and is viewed with disgrace by the public. By the reinforcement in line 2, “beweep in my outcast state”, his state refers to his state of being. That line represents him being out casted from society. Skipping on to lines 5-9 the poet finds himself envying what the others have that he does not; wealth, friends, popularity and artistic talent. Line 10-12 describes his love on his “state” or emotional well-being.
It can be assumed that the lark rising from the “sullen earth” at the “break of day” means that the day is more joyful than it is at night. Finally, the last two lines say that he would not change his state of being because his loyalty to the ‘fair lord’ is better than all the wealth of a king. The tone of Sonnet 29 is certainly negative and emotional but in the end the protagonist is content about his future. He might not be popular within his society or have talents that he sees in others but in the end he will be with God.
You have to accept what life gives you and be happy with who you are because in the end you will be rewarded. The conflict in Sonnet 29, as mentioned above with the tone, is that the protagonist is struggling to be accepted and desires many things he does not have. In many ways, it is a plea for help. “Sonnet 29 shows the poet at his most insecure and troubled. He feels unlucky, shamed, and fiercely jealous of those around him” (Mabillard, 2000). This poem is probably used to inspire all those that go through hardships in their lives.
Most likely, Shakespeare himself went through these hardships. Poems are a means of capturing what the poet experiences (Clugston, 2010). The part I can relate to with this poem’s conflicts is that there are times when I want to just be like someone else and/or be accepted by a group of people. There have even been times that I wanted a special talent someone has. I am sure that there are great deals of people that experience the same thing which makes this poem easy to relate to. The style of this poem is pretty straightforward.
It is a sonnet but more specifically it is written in English sonnet. The English sonnet is a 14-line poem with a rhyming couplet on the last two lines. What makes the English sonnet different from the Italian sonnet are the rhyme schemes. Also, in the English sonnet, the development is a bit different. Sonnet 29 started with low self-esteem and discouragement but ended with a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction (Clugston, 2010). William Shakespeare writes some complex literature but they all can give you a connection directly to the poet.
The tone, conflict and style is almost a parallel resemblance of how I sometimes see my life so I chose this poem to reflect on. This is more than just a poem, it is truly an art. References Clugston, R. (2010). Journey into Literature. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from https://www. content. ashford. edu Mabillard, A. (2000). Analysis of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29. Retrieved from http://www. shakespeare-online. com/sonnets/29detail. html