Literary Concepts In 'What Lips My Lips Have Kissed'

Art characteristics that one must take the time to examine accurately for it to be understood, poetry reflects from all viewpoints. Literary concepts, for example the narrator, arrangement, method, attitude, expressions, tempo, figurative and sounds of language, as well as alliteration must be well-thought-out when writing poetry because complex ideas are brought to light when inspected. For instance, a fourteen line poem with a particular rhyme scheme at first reading looks like an ordinary poem and changes into a compound sonnet. “What lips my lips have kissed” contains a typical rhyme scheme of abbabba cdecde” structure and provides numerous examples of literary concepts. The poem possesses an excellent illustration of how literary concepts merge to make a complicated and expressive sonnet.

Millay includes literary concepts, such as the presence of a speaker, tone, vocabulary, sounds of language, figurative language, alliteration, and structure,

The lapse separating the octave and the sestet also serve as a shift in the poem, after the break in the verse, it becomes deeply reflective and more remorseful. Together all of these literary concepts allow the reader to become the speaker in only fourteen lines of poetry.

Millay’s sonnet, “What lips my lips have kissed,” grows further involved and meaningful through the use of literary concepts. These profoundly dark and clouded sentiments highlighted in the demeanor of a speaker, the tone, sounds of language, vocabulary, figurative language, and structure used. These literary concepts would not have been as imperative as it is in delivering the speaker’s sentiments to the reader. Any artist who applies color, texture, medium, and space to bring their pieces of art to life in as much a poet must use these kinds of literary