Paper One
1. Paper One consists of two questions.
2. Paper One is divided into two sections and should be answered within one hour and forty-five minutes.
3. Paper One has two sections; Section A: Directed Writing (guided writing style), Section B: Continuous Writing (free-writing about 350-words)
Paper Two
1. Paper Two consists of 34 questions; 15 objective questions, 19 subjective questions.
2. 19 subjective questions are divided into a few different styles such as short answers (one-word), complete sentences answers & short responses (for literature).
3. Summary is written in not more than 130 words.
4. Literature component is tested in two ways- i)one/two sentence(s) for
short stories and poem
ii) short response (about 120
words)for novel
Thursday, February 19, 2009
How To Ace Your Paper Two?
For PMR, all you guys had to do was answer MCQ questions. UNFORTUNATELY, things get harder as we grow older so for SPM, you would only have 15 MCQ questions and 15 comprehension questions, a summary of 120 words, 4 comprehension questions on a poem, 4 comprehension questions on a short story and a short response (150 words) on a novel.
But most of you are baaaaaaaddddd in answering comprehension questions. Lain yang ditanya, lain yang kamu jawab (waaaaah... Malay Language sikit!). So here are some tips on how to answer comprehension questions if you are bluuuur about what to do.
The reading comprehension questions aim to test your understanding of the passage as well as vocabulary. Among the skills tested are recognising general and specific ideas, finding important details and guessing meaning from context.
Guidelines for comprehension
1. Read the whole passage through once to get a general idea of what the passage is about. Do not worry if you come across unfamiliar words. Sometimes, it is not necessary to understand every word you read.
2. Read the passage a second time, if necessary. The second reading helps you take in the details and improve your understanding.
3. Read the questions carefully. Use cue words in the questions to help you answer the questions. These can be the “wh” words (what, when, where, why, who, whose, how) and action verbs (identify, find, list).
4. Questions sometimes contain words found in the passage. Use these words to help you identify the part of the passage where the answer can be found.
5. You can lift clauses or sentences from the passage to answer questions. You do not have to use your own words unless you are told to do so. Moreover, there is a danger in paraphrasing – you might alter/distort the meaning expressed in the passage.
6. For questions on vocabulary, if you are asked for a word, then give only ONE word and nothing else. Make sure you spell the word correctly. If you are asked for a phrase, then give the relevant phrase.
7. Some questions require you to use your own words and you must do so.
8. Do pay attention to the tense used in the questions when formulating your answers.
Pitfalls to avoid
1. Do not give more than the required information. Sometimes, students copy chunks from a text, giving two or more sentences. This only highlights their weakness – failure to understand the question and/or text.
2. Do not give two or more answers to a question. Some students write down all the possible answers to a question just to be on the safe side.
3. Do not waste time paraphrasing answers unless you are asked to do so.
But most of you are baaaaaaaddddd in answering comprehension questions. Lain yang ditanya, lain yang kamu jawab (waaaaah... Malay Language sikit!). So here are some tips on how to answer comprehension questions if you are bluuuur about what to do.
The reading comprehension questions aim to test your understanding of the passage as well as vocabulary. Among the skills tested are recognising general and specific ideas, finding important details and guessing meaning from context.
Guidelines for comprehension
1. Read the whole passage through once to get a general idea of what the passage is about. Do not worry if you come across unfamiliar words. Sometimes, it is not necessary to understand every word you read.
2. Read the passage a second time, if necessary. The second reading helps you take in the details and improve your understanding.
3. Read the questions carefully. Use cue words in the questions to help you answer the questions. These can be the “wh” words (what, when, where, why, who, whose, how) and action verbs (identify, find, list).
4. Questions sometimes contain words found in the passage. Use these words to help you identify the part of the passage where the answer can be found.
5. You can lift clauses or sentences from the passage to answer questions. You do not have to use your own words unless you are told to do so. Moreover, there is a danger in paraphrasing – you might alter/distort the meaning expressed in the passage.
6. For questions on vocabulary, if you are asked for a word, then give only ONE word and nothing else. Make sure you spell the word correctly. If you are asked for a phrase, then give the relevant phrase.
7. Some questions require you to use your own words and you must do so.
8. Do pay attention to the tense used in the questions when formulating your answers.
Pitfalls to avoid
1. Do not give more than the required information. Sometimes, students copy chunks from a text, giving two or more sentences. This only highlights their weakness – failure to understand the question and/or text.
2. Do not give two or more answers to a question. Some students write down all the possible answers to a question just to be on the safe side.
3. Do not waste time paraphrasing answers unless you are asked to do so.
Le Capri, Italy
We've been asked many times to get into the story if we really want to understand it. That means that we have to imagine how the characters act and why they act as such. Another way to increase your understanding of a story is through knowing how the places described in the story looks like. For that reason, I thought it would only be perfect if we could look at how Capri which is the main setting in the short story, "The Lotus Eater" looks like. Also included in this blog post are pictures of Mt Vesuvius, Bay of Naples (where Thomas Wilson likes to lepak in the evenings) and a very similar picture of how the small cottage Thomas lived in was described in the story.
Capri Island, Italy
Bay Of Naples, Italy
Bay of Naples, Italy
Thomas Wilson's cottage
Description in book: "The cottage is in the vineyard, far from the town. There was a beautiful view from the cottage out over the sea. There was a huge flowering tree beside the door of the cottage. The tree was covered with large, brightly coloured flowers" (pp. 24)
Mt Vesuvius
Do you guys agree if I said that these place is phenomenal? No wonder Thomas Wilson decided to leave the boring London city with its insanely cold weather for a warmer, tropical Capri Island.
Capri Island, Italy
Bay Of Naples, Italy
Bay of Naples, Italy
Thomas Wilson's cottage
Description in book: "The cottage is in the vineyard, far from the town. There was a beautiful view from the cottage out over the sea. There was a huge flowering tree beside the door of the cottage. The tree was covered with large, brightly coloured flowers" (pp. 24)
Mt Vesuvius
Do you guys agree if I said that these place is phenomenal? No wonder Thomas Wilson decided to leave the boring London city with its insanely cold weather for a warmer, tropical Capri Island.
Themes & Moral Values of "The Lotus Eater"
Main Themes
1)The pursuit of happiness
2)The naturalness of living and dying
3)The value of friendship
4)Disillusionment of the world
Moral Values
1) Life is precious and we have no right to take own our life
2) Happiness is not equal with an idle life
3) We should be helpful and kind to our neighbours
4) Friendship that is cultivated needs to be nurtured
1)The pursuit of happiness
2)The naturalness of living and dying
3)The value of friendship
4)Disillusionment of the world
Moral Values
1) Life is precious and we have no right to take own our life
2) Happiness is not equal with an idle life
3) We should be helpful and kind to our neighbours
4) Friendship that is cultivated needs to be nurtured
Characteristics of Encik Narrator In Lotus Eater
Inquisitive He wanted to talk Thomas Wilson after knowing his story (pp21)
Observant He notes every single thing about Thomas Wilson to capture his character (pp24)
Traveller He travelled all the different corners of the world as a writer (pp21 & 25)
Observant He notes every single thing about Thomas Wilson to capture his character (pp24)
Traveller He travelled all the different corners of the world as a writer (pp21 & 25)
Characteristics of A Man Who Tried To Kill Himself But Failed in "The Lotus Eater"
THOMAS WILSON
Weird Wants to make big decision that will change his life completely (pp 21)
Lonely He doesn’t have any family, relatives or close friends (pp23)
Careful He did not decide to move to Capri hurriedly as he was afraid of making a huge mistake (pp23)
Unrealistic He aspires for an on-going happiness through making simple decisions (pp23)
Low profile He lives modestly and appreciates his privacy (pp23)
FriendlyHe entertained the narrator and invites him over to house (pp24)
Self-deceptive/indecisive He lived in denial after his money ran out for over a year (pp25)
Unrealistic Tried to commit suicide after his money ran out yet failed (pp25)
Became desolate He lost his memory due to inhalation of smoke (pp27)
Loner He spends his time walking alone and runs away from the narrator whenever approached (pp 27)
Weird Wants to make big decision that will change his life completely (pp 21)
Lonely He doesn’t have any family, relatives or close friends (pp23)
Careful He did not decide to move to Capri hurriedly as he was afraid of making a huge mistake (pp23)
Unrealistic He aspires for an on-going happiness through making simple decisions (pp23)
Low profile He lives modestly and appreciates his privacy (pp23)
FriendlyHe entertained the narrator and invites him over to house (pp24)
Self-deceptive/indecisive He lived in denial after his money ran out for over a year (pp25)
Unrealistic Tried to commit suicide after his money ran out yet failed (pp25)
Became desolate He lost his memory due to inhalation of smoke (pp27)
Loner He spends his time walking alone and runs away from the narrator whenever approached (pp 27)
The Fruits Of 4 Archimedes' Discussion In Class
The Lotus Eater
William Somerset Maugham
Summary
In 1913, the narrator visited a friend who lived on the beautiful Capri Island, located in the Bay of Naples. From the island, he can see across the water to Mt Vesuvius on the Mainland of Italy. The narrator then met Thomas Wilson who wants to die (kill himself) when he’s sixty. He came to Capri when he was 35 years old and he had enough money to last him 25 years. So, he figured he should kill himself when he turns 60. A few days later, the narrator’s friend invited both of the narrator and Thomas Wilson for dinner but the narrator’s friend fell ill so Wilson and the narrator ended up having dinner between themselves. After dinner, they sat in the garden and Wilson reminiscence on how he fell in love with the island 16 years ago when he first saw it during his holiday there.
Wilson had no family, relatives or close friends. After his first visit to Capri, he returned to work as a bank manager in London which he had since he was 17 years old. He found his job to be tedious and wishes to return to live on Capri Island forever so that he can die as a happy man. He sold his house in London and bought an annuity which would last him for 25 years. In Capri, he lived in a small, scenic cottage in a vineyard far from town. The cottage belongs to the owner of the vineyard whose wife, Assunta comes around everyday to tend to the cottage. Wilson leads a quiet and private life yet he also relishes the opportunity to meet people once in a while as he always has something interesting to share.
The narrator then went on with his journey around the world and endured World War 1. He came back to Capri and visited his friend who now lives in Wilson’s old cottage. Wilson’s money has ran out as he reached the age of 60 and the owner of the cottage asked him to leave unless he paid the rent. So Wilson tried to commit suicide by lighting up a fire in his bedroom. He survived the fire but his mind is damaged from over-inhalation of smoke and he lost his memory. Assunta assumed the role of taking care of him and let him stay in their woodshed. The narrator tried to converse with Wilson yet he runs away. Wilson died after 6 years of living in the woodshed when they found his body on the hillside, looking out over the beautiful Bay of Naples.
Done by Group 1, 2 and 3 (4 Archimedes)
February 2009
William Somerset Maugham
Summary
In 1913, the narrator visited a friend who lived on the beautiful Capri Island, located in the Bay of Naples. From the island, he can see across the water to Mt Vesuvius on the Mainland of Italy. The narrator then met Thomas Wilson who wants to die (kill himself) when he’s sixty. He came to Capri when he was 35 years old and he had enough money to last him 25 years. So, he figured he should kill himself when he turns 60. A few days later, the narrator’s friend invited both of the narrator and Thomas Wilson for dinner but the narrator’s friend fell ill so Wilson and the narrator ended up having dinner between themselves. After dinner, they sat in the garden and Wilson reminiscence on how he fell in love with the island 16 years ago when he first saw it during his holiday there.
Wilson had no family, relatives or close friends. After his first visit to Capri, he returned to work as a bank manager in London which he had since he was 17 years old. He found his job to be tedious and wishes to return to live on Capri Island forever so that he can die as a happy man. He sold his house in London and bought an annuity which would last him for 25 years. In Capri, he lived in a small, scenic cottage in a vineyard far from town. The cottage belongs to the owner of the vineyard whose wife, Assunta comes around everyday to tend to the cottage. Wilson leads a quiet and private life yet he also relishes the opportunity to meet people once in a while as he always has something interesting to share.
The narrator then went on with his journey around the world and endured World War 1. He came back to Capri and visited his friend who now lives in Wilson’s old cottage. Wilson’s money has ran out as he reached the age of 60 and the owner of the cottage asked him to leave unless he paid the rent. So Wilson tried to commit suicide by lighting up a fire in his bedroom. He survived the fire but his mind is damaged from over-inhalation of smoke and he lost his memory. Assunta assumed the role of taking care of him and let him stay in their woodshed. The narrator tried to converse with Wilson yet he runs away. Wilson died after 6 years of living in the woodshed when they found his body on the hillside, looking out over the beautiful Bay of Naples.
Done by Group 1, 2 and 3 (4 Archimedes)
February 2009
What The Heck Is A Lotus Eater?
In Greek mythology, the Lotophagi (Greek Λωτοφάγοι, lotus-eaters) were a race of people from an island near North Africa dominated by "lotus" plants. The lotus fruits and flowers were the primary food of the island and were narcotic and addictive, causing the people to sleep in peaceful apathy. Some scholars have linked the lotus with the Opium Poppy flower, which would have been well known to the ancient Greeks.
In modern usage, the term or its English equivalent "lotus-eaters" is used as a pejorative. It refers to persons who are addicted to illicit plant based or other drugs and who have lost their will to productively contribute to society. It can also mean persons who are insulated from the real-world consequences of their own poor judgment or laziness, e.g. by reason of academic tenure or idle wealth. It may be used to sneer at intellectuals who are prone to grandiose ideas, but not themselves particularly assiduous or capable in the realization of their lofty, impractical speculations.
Credits to wiki :)
In modern usage, the term or its English equivalent "lotus-eaters" is used as a pejorative. It refers to persons who are addicted to illicit plant based or other drugs and who have lost their will to productively contribute to society. It can also mean persons who are insulated from the real-world consequences of their own poor judgment or laziness, e.g. by reason of academic tenure or idle wealth. It may be used to sneer at intellectuals who are prone to grandiose ideas, but not themselves particularly assiduous or capable in the realization of their lofty, impractical speculations.
Credits to wiki :)
Sonnet 18
William Shakespeare
Pattern: a, b, a, b, c, d, c, d, e, f, e, f, g, g
Tone of poem: loving, romantic, praising
Themes: Love for another being, the immortality of verse and transience of beauty
Understanding the poem (Line by Line analysis)
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
(Can I ever compare you to a beautiful and perfect day in summer?)
Thou art more lovely and more temperate,
(As you are more beautiful and suits me well, not too hot like a day in summer)
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
(Strong winds can blow hard and destroy the delicate and fragile flower buds)
And summer’s lease hath all too short to date:
(‘Lease’ refers to duration of days with sunshine. As you might know, summer only lasts 3 months a year (too short!)
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
(The ‘eye of heaven’ refers to sun. The sun can be too hot in summer)
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d,
(Sometimes the sun can be hidden and its light may be faded)
And every fair from fair sometimes declines,
(‘Fair’ refers to beauty. It says that beauty is not perfect and fades)
By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimm’d;
(Beauty can be lost accidentally or through natural course/passing time)
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
(Yet, the poet feels the woman’s will not deteriorate or lost due to anything)
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
(She will possess an everlasting beauty)
Nor shall Death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,
(Death can never claim her as his because she will always be remembered)
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st.
(Her beauty will be immortalized in these lines of poem)
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
(As long as men live or read about you)
So long lives this, and this gives live to thee
(As long as people read this sonnet, her beauty will last forever.)
Personification:
Line 11= Death described as a braggart (like a human who likes to boast
Line 6 = The eye of heaven (sun) described to have golden, pleasantly tanned skin as desired by a lot of pale-skinned Caucasians.
Metaphor:
Line 9= ‘Eternal lines’ represents poems to will be read for many years
Line 5= ‘The eye of heaven’ represents sun. It goes on to show that even the most important part of the most wonderful thing (heaven) might not be as perfect as the woman’s beauty.
William Shakespeare
Pattern: a, b, a, b, c, d, c, d, e, f, e, f, g, g
Tone of poem: loving, romantic, praising
Themes: Love for another being, the immortality of verse and transience of beauty
Understanding the poem (Line by Line analysis)
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
(Can I ever compare you to a beautiful and perfect day in summer?)
Thou art more lovely and more temperate,
(As you are more beautiful and suits me well, not too hot like a day in summer)
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
(Strong winds can blow hard and destroy the delicate and fragile flower buds)
And summer’s lease hath all too short to date:
(‘Lease’ refers to duration of days with sunshine. As you might know, summer only lasts 3 months a year (too short!)
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
(The ‘eye of heaven’ refers to sun. The sun can be too hot in summer)
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d,
(Sometimes the sun can be hidden and its light may be faded)
And every fair from fair sometimes declines,
(‘Fair’ refers to beauty. It says that beauty is not perfect and fades)
By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimm’d;
(Beauty can be lost accidentally or through natural course/passing time)
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
(Yet, the poet feels the woman’s will not deteriorate or lost due to anything)
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
(She will possess an everlasting beauty)
Nor shall Death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,
(Death can never claim her as his because she will always be remembered)
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st.
(Her beauty will be immortalized in these lines of poem)
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
(As long as men live or read about you)
So long lives this, and this gives live to thee
(As long as people read this sonnet, her beauty will last forever.)
Personification:
Line 11= Death described as a braggart (like a human who likes to boast
Line 6 = The eye of heaven (sun) described to have golden, pleasantly tanned skin as desired by a lot of pale-skinned Caucasians.
Metaphor:
Line 9= ‘Eternal lines’ represents poems to will be read for many years
Line 5= ‘The eye of heaven’ represents sun. It goes on to show that even the most important part of the most wonderful thing (heaven) might not be as perfect as the woman’s beauty.
Transition from Sonnet 16 to Sonnet 20
Sonnet 16
But wherefore do not you a mightier way
Make war upon this bloody tyrant, Time?
And fortify yourself in your decay
With means more blessed than my barren rhyme?
Now stand you on the top of happy hours,
And many maiden gardens yet unset
With virtuous wish would bear your living flowers,
Much liker than your painted counterfeit:
So should the lines of life that life repair,
Which this, Time's pencil, or my pupil pen,
Neither in inward worth nor outward fair,
Can make you live yourself in eyes of men.
To give away yourself keeps yourself still,
And you must live, drawn by your own sweet skill.
Sonnet 17
Who will believe my verse in time to come,
If it were fill'd with your most high deserts?
Though yet heaven knows it is but as a tomb
Which hides your life, and shows not half your parts.
If I could write the beauty of your eyes,
And in fresh numbers number all your graces,
The age to come would say 'This poet lies;
Such heavenly touches ne'er touch'd earthly faces.'
So should my papers, yellow'd with their age,
Be scorn'd, like old men of less truth than tongue,
And your true rights be term'd a poet's rage
And stretched metre of an antique song;
But were some child of yours alive that time,
You should live twice, in it, and in my rhyme.
Sonnet 18
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Sonnet 19
Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion's paws,
And make the earth devour her own sweet brood;
Pluck the keen teeth from the fierce tiger's jaws,
And burn the long-liv'd phoenix, in her blood;
Make glad and sorry seasons as thou fleet'st,
And do whate'er thou wilt, swift-footed Time,
To the wide world and all her fading sweets;
But I forbid thee one most heinous crime:
O! carve not with thy hours my love's fair brow,
Nor draw no lines there with thine antique pen;
Him in thy course untainted do allow
For beauty's pattern to succeeding men.
Yet, do thy worst old Time: despite thy wrong,
My love shall in my verse ever live young.
Sonnet 20
A woman's face with nature's own hand painted,
Hast thou, the master mistress of my passion;
A woman's gentle heart, but not acquainted
With shifting change, as is false women's fashion:
An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling,
Gilding the object whereupon it gazeth;
A man in hue all hues in his controlling,
Which steals men's eyes and women's souls amazeth.
And for a woman wert thou first created;
Till Nature, as she wrought thee, fell a-doting,
And by addition me of thee defeated,
By adding one thing to my purpose nothing.
But since she prick'd thee out for women's pleasure,
Mine be thy love and thy love's use their treasure.
From this flow of sonnets that are connected to each other, we can see a gradual shift from talking about the desire to have a child (in Sonnet 16 and 17) so that one’s legacy can go on forever and his name will be carried downwards into the devotion of a loved one. As we reach Sonnet 18, the poet seems to describe more about being able to immortalize the beauty in poems (eternal lines) instead of wanting children. It could very well be argued that the eternal lines described in Sonnet 18 are, in fact, a metaphor for the lineage of children that will inherit Shakespeare’s name. The praises in Sonnet 18 about someone’s beauty were sung henceforth in Sonnet 19 thus the tone of the two sonnets are more or less alike.
Yet, a delicious controversy unfolds in Sonnet 20 where Shakespeare openly chose to speak about a man’s beauty which is similar as women (and for a woman wert thou first created) but Nature fell in love with her and changed her into a man. This man is sought after by both men and women. It gave a hint that Shakespeare might have cunningly been speaking about a man even from the earlier sonnets
But wherefore do not you a mightier way
Make war upon this bloody tyrant, Time?
And fortify yourself in your decay
With means more blessed than my barren rhyme?
Now stand you on the top of happy hours,
And many maiden gardens yet unset
With virtuous wish would bear your living flowers,
Much liker than your painted counterfeit:
So should the lines of life that life repair,
Which this, Time's pencil, or my pupil pen,
Neither in inward worth nor outward fair,
Can make you live yourself in eyes of men.
To give away yourself keeps yourself still,
And you must live, drawn by your own sweet skill.
Sonnet 17
Who will believe my verse in time to come,
If it were fill'd with your most high deserts?
Though yet heaven knows it is but as a tomb
Which hides your life, and shows not half your parts.
If I could write the beauty of your eyes,
And in fresh numbers number all your graces,
The age to come would say 'This poet lies;
Such heavenly touches ne'er touch'd earthly faces.'
So should my papers, yellow'd with their age,
Be scorn'd, like old men of less truth than tongue,
And your true rights be term'd a poet's rage
And stretched metre of an antique song;
But were some child of yours alive that time,
You should live twice, in it, and in my rhyme.
Sonnet 18
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Sonnet 19
Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion's paws,
And make the earth devour her own sweet brood;
Pluck the keen teeth from the fierce tiger's jaws,
And burn the long-liv'd phoenix, in her blood;
Make glad and sorry seasons as thou fleet'st,
And do whate'er thou wilt, swift-footed Time,
To the wide world and all her fading sweets;
But I forbid thee one most heinous crime:
O! carve not with thy hours my love's fair brow,
Nor draw no lines there with thine antique pen;
Him in thy course untainted do allow
For beauty's pattern to succeeding men.
Yet, do thy worst old Time: despite thy wrong,
My love shall in my verse ever live young.
Sonnet 20
A woman's face with nature's own hand painted,
Hast thou, the master mistress of my passion;
A woman's gentle heart, but not acquainted
With shifting change, as is false women's fashion:
An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling,
Gilding the object whereupon it gazeth;
A man in hue all hues in his controlling,
Which steals men's eyes and women's souls amazeth.
And for a woman wert thou first created;
Till Nature, as she wrought thee, fell a-doting,
And by addition me of thee defeated,
By adding one thing to my purpose nothing.
But since she prick'd thee out for women's pleasure,
Mine be thy love and thy love's use their treasure.
From this flow of sonnets that are connected to each other, we can see a gradual shift from talking about the desire to have a child (in Sonnet 16 and 17) so that one’s legacy can go on forever and his name will be carried downwards into the devotion of a loved one. As we reach Sonnet 18, the poet seems to describe more about being able to immortalize the beauty in poems (eternal lines) instead of wanting children. It could very well be argued that the eternal lines described in Sonnet 18 are, in fact, a metaphor for the lineage of children that will inherit Shakespeare’s name. The praises in Sonnet 18 about someone’s beauty were sung henceforth in Sonnet 19 thus the tone of the two sonnets are more or less alike.
Yet, a delicious controversy unfolds in Sonnet 20 where Shakespeare openly chose to speak about a man’s beauty which is similar as women (and for a woman wert thou first created) but Nature fell in love with her and changed her into a man. This man is sought after by both men and women. It gave a hint that Shakespeare might have cunningly been speaking about a man even from the earlier sonnets
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
One of the best known of Shakespeare's sonnets, Sonnet 18 is memorable for the skillful and varied presentation of subject matter, in which the poet's feelings reach a level of rapture unseen in the previous sonnets. The poet here abandons his quest for the youth to have a child, and instead glories in the youth's beauty.
Initially, the poet poses a question — "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" — and then reflects on it, remarking that the youth's beauty far surpasses summer's delights. The imagery is the very essence of simplicity: "wind" and "buds." In the fourth line, legal terminology — "summer's lease" — is introduced in contrast to the commonplace images in the first three lines. Note also the poet's use of extremes in the phrases "more lovely," "all too short," and "too hot"; these phrases emphasize the young woman's beauty.
Although lines 9 through 12 are marked by a more expansive tone and deeper feeling, the poet returns to the simplicity of the opening images. As one expects in Shakespeare's sonnets, the proposition that the poet sets up in the first eight lines — that all nature is subject to imperfection — is now contrasted in these next four lines beginning with "But." Although beauty naturally declines at some point — "And every fair from fair sometime declines" — the youth's beauty will not; her unchanging appearance is atypical of nature's steady progression. Even death is impotent against the youth's beauty. Note the ambiguity in the phrase "eternal lines": Are these "lines" the poet's verses or the youth's hoped-for children? Or are they simply wrinkles meant to represent the process of aging? Whatever the answer, the poet is jubilant in this sonnet because nothing threatens the young man's beautiful appearance.
Then follows the concluding couplet: "So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee." The poet is describing not what the youth is but what she will be ages hence, as captured in the poet's eternal verse — or again, in a hoped-for child. Whatever one may feel about the sentiment expressed in the sonnet and especially in these last two lines, one cannot help but notice an abrupt change in the poet's own estimate of his poetic writing. Following the poet's disparaging reference to his "pupil pen" and "barren rhyme" in Sonnet 16, it comes as a surprise in Sonnet 18 to find him boasting that his poetry will be eternal.
Notes taken from http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/Shakespeare-s-Sonnets-Analysis-and-Original-Text-by-Sonnet-Sonnet-18.id-169,pageNum-50.html on 2nd February 2008
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
