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Immortality in literature
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Immortality Through Verse in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 and Spenser’s Sonnet 75 Desiring fame, celebrity, and importance, people for centuries have yearned for the ultimately unattainable goal of immortality. Poets, too, have expressed desires in verse that their lovers remain as they are for eternity, in efforts of praise. Though Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 and Spenser’s Sonnet 75 from Amoretti both offer lovers this immortality through verse, only Spenser pairs this immortality with respect and partnership, while Shakespeare promises the subject of the sonnet immortality by unusual compliments and the assurance that she will live on as long as the sonnet continues to be read. Spenser debates with his lover, treating her as his equal, and leaves his opinion open for interpretation as an example of poetic indirection. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 begins with the "whim of an inventive mind," (Vendler, 120) a rhetorical question asking if he should compare the subject of the sonnet to a Summer’s day. After the readers see that Shakespeare does not ask to compare her to anything else, we realize that this one proposed comparison to a Summer’s day is, in his mind, perfection (Vendler, 120). However, in order to truly praise the woman, he must prove that she is "more lovely and more temperate" by deprecating the metaphor (Vendler, 121). Though the metaphor seems sweet at first, the implied answer is "no," and Shakespeare continues as to why she is not even worthy of the best possible metaphor (Colie, 36). His imagery of "rough winds" and the "too hot" sun together with the personification of Summer ("Summer’s lease hath all too short a date") support Shakespeare’s belief that Summer is too short and unpredictable to be compa... ... middle of paper ... ...87. 36-37. Felperin, Howard. "Toward a Poststructuralist Practice: The Sonnets." Modern C Critical Interpretations: Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Ed. Harold Bloom. 1st ed. N New York: Chelsea House, 1987. 103-131. Oram, William Allan. Edmund Spenser. Ed. Arthur Kinney. New York: Twayne, 1 1997. Ray, Robert H. "Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18." The Explicator. Fall 1994: 10-11. Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 18." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. E Ed. M. H. Abrams. 6th ed. New York: Norton, 1996. 471. "Sonnet 75: Criticism." EXPLORING Poetry. CD-ROM. Gale, 1997. "Sonnet 75: Overview." EXPLORING Poetry. CD-ROM. Gale, 1997. Spenser, Edmund. "Sonnet 75." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M M. H. Abrams. 6th ed. New York: Norton, 1996. 415. Vendler, Helen. The Art of Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Cambridge: Harvard UP: 1998.
First of all, the character Hercules was a non-hero who later received the power of strength. As a young boy Hercules wished to overcome any problem and always had in mind to be a strong man and to do the impossible. For example, in the movie , Hercules is a hard working kid who later by his parents gained a valuable power of strength being “introduced in ordinary surrounding in a mundane world, doing mundane things “ (Linda Seger 2) Hercules could not believe where all his strength was coming from because he had become too powerful to believe. Seger also explained that “this is how...
On one level, each scenario is of an American archetype of success. For a country that prides itself on its immigrant history, hard-work ethic, and financial success stories, it seems strange to make these folks look like the villains. This is what Eric Schlosser is getting at: that these people would be heroes if the American ideal were anything more than a myth. Forgotten in that ideal, rationalized somehow, is the fact that our national heritage also includes a strong grounding in Puritanical morality somewhat. This is perhaps one of the most dissatisfying aspects of Schlosser's book, that the exploration of our moral grounding is never explored all that deeply, even though it is criticized. However, it is indisputable that the author, Schlosser, feels that the American ideal has a dangerous and powerful hold on the public co...
Aaron Copland was born November 14, 1900 in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Sarah Mittenthal Copland and Harris Morris Copland. Aaron was the youngest five children. Laurine, Josephine, Ralph, Leon, Himself. He was taught at Boys’ High School and American Conservatory in Fontainebleau. He lived in a house in Brooklyn, New York. He learned to play piano at the age of 12 from his sister. He later studied under Rubin Goldmark in Manhattan, and he regularly attended classical music performances. Aaron Copland had a pretty good early life.
Bradstreet, A., & Kallich, M. (1973). A Book of the Sonnet: Poems and Criticism. New York: Twayne Publishers.
Shakespeare, William. “Sonnet 138.” Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Eds. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square, 2004.
Hercules was the strongest heroes cause from his father Zeus he possesed super human streangth. Hercules was not only strong but a champion wrestler he even wrestled the great god Zues to a draw he was also an excellent marksman. It is said the Hercules could throw giant boulders like a pebels and he would push mountians if they ever blocked his cattle. He did all of these mortaly imposible taskes with ease and his curage showed termendously in times of need.
Ingram, W. G. and Theodore Redpath, Ed. "Sonnet 93," Shakespeare's Sonnets.New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1968. pg. 168-169.
Wherever an innocent would suffer there would be Hercules. With his strength of ten men and kind heart Hercules helps those who need it. Thought it is tough the half god does the impossible. By helping others before himself he has been made a symbol of good. Hercules life and background significantly impacted Greek and Roman mythology and he continues to be a great influence on modern day culture.
Ingram, W. G. and Theodore Redpath, Ed. "Sonnet 73," Shakespeare’s Sonnets.New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1968. pg. 168-169.
William Shakespeare is a one of the most famous writers in history. Everyone with a high school education has probably read a Shakespearean play. This was where I first exposed to work by Shakespeare. I will be discussing ten of Shakespeare’s Sonnets, which explore his feelings for an unidentified addressee.
..., D. E. (2009, November 7). The Sonnet, Subjectivity, and Gender. Retrieved October 11, 2011, from mit.edu: www.mit.edu/~shaslang/WGS/HendersonSSG.pdf
Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 96." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Eds. M. H. Abrams and Stephen Greenblatt. 7th ed. 2 vols. New York: Norton, 2000. 1: 1031-32.
"Sonnet." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 3 Dec. 2013.
Therefore, because William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” and Edmund Spenser’s “Sonnet 75” share the idea that love is sincere and eternal, they can be looked upon as similar in theme. However, although similar in theme, Shakespeare’s intent is portraying the true everlasting beauty of his love, which is already achieved, whereas Spenser concentrates more on trying to entice his desired love, remaining optimistic throughout the entire poem.
The poet starts off the poem with a metaphoric Question of whether he "Shall compare thee to a summer's day?" this is a positive question asking whether the beauty of the summer is worthy of that compared to his lover/mistress. This is an effective metaphor because it suggests that the woman is either more or equally beautiful as the calm and warm summer which reinforces the idea of everlasting beauty. A summer day is calm and generally suppose to be filled with life and the beauty of the nature, which alludes to the beloveds' beauty. In line three of the poem the speaker compares the beloved to the summer day which is imperfect compared to the beloved. The summer is flawed in that it has "rough winds" which alludes to the idea that the beloved is perfect and is in fact superior to ...