Puritan Sonnet
Elinor Wylie
Down to the Puritan Marrow of my bones
There's something in this richness that I hate.
I love the look, austere, immaculate,
Of landscapes drawn in pearly monotones.
There's something in my very blood that owns
Bare hills, cold silver on a sky of slate,
A thread of water, churned to milky spate1
Streaming through slanted pastures fenced with stones.
I love those skies, thin blue or snowy gray,
Those fields sparse-planted, rendering meager sheaves;
That spring, briefer than apple blossom's breath,
Summer, so much too beautiful to stay,
Swift autumn, like a bonfire of leaves,
And sleepy winter, like the sleep of death.
1. The Rhyme scheme is
ABBAABBA
bones (A)
hate (B)
immaculate (B)
Monotones (A)
owns (A)
slate (B)
Spate (B)
Stones (A)
CDECDE
Gray (C)\
Sheaves (D)
Breath (E)
Stay (C)
Leaves (D)
Death (E)
2. Complete a scansion on 3 lines of the poem. (Identify line length and meter--like the example from "Shall I Compare thee to a Summer's Day).
Streaming/ through slan/ted pas/tures fenced /with stones.
I love /those skies,/ thin blue/ or snow/y gray,
Those fields/ sparse-plant/ed, rend/ering /meager sheaves;
3. Identify at least 5 images in the poem (Try to find images that appeal to different senses)
Of landscapes drawn in pearly monotones.- This image is visual. They landscapes described as, pearly, being a white creamy color, and described as monotone, meaning plain.
Summer, so much too beautiful to stay- this is also a visual image. The summer described as too beautiful to stay, meaning it must leave.
Swift autumn, like a bonfire of leaves- Here, autumn is described as swift, which means it goes by quickly, and its compared to a bonfire of leaves. Which i translate as, lots of leaves falling from a tree, making large groups on the ground, here called bonfires.
And sleepy winter, like the sleep of death- Here this is also visual, and kind of physical. It is visual, because it is called sleepy. It is sleepy, because unlike the other months this one goes by slowly. And it is kind of physical because it is compared to death, which is physical.
Bare hills, cold silver on a sky of slate- This sentence is also visual and physical. The visual part is the bare hills. The hills are described as bare: plain, and empty. The physical part is the cold silver, when they say this it makes the reader think of a a ppiece of silver that is cold to the touch.
4. Identify the problem (situation) and solution in the sonnet
The problem in this peom is that the writer hate's all the other season's except winter. And the solution is when all the other season's pass, and winter comes back around.
5. Define the words austere, immaculate, and sheaves
Austere: Severe or stern in disposition or appearance; somber and grave.
immaculate: Impeccably clean; spotless
sheaves: A bundle of cut stalks of grain or similar plants bound with straw or twine
6. Identify four sound devices in the poem (assonance, alliteration, consonance)
a. Streaming through slanted pastures fenced with stones- Alliteration
b. Swift autumn, like a bonfire of leaves- Allusion
c. Summer, so much too beautiful to stay- consonance
d. Down to the
Puritan Marrow of my bones- Metonymy7. What is the speaker's attitude toward the New England winter landscape?
The speaker likes the New England landscape, because it is a nice creamy color, called "pearly," and she also likes it because it is monotone, meaning plain, with no colors to mess it up.
8. What view of life does the poem present?
The speaker changes points of view in the sonnet. First she expresses a feeling of hate, but switches in the middle and says she loves the beautiful scenery.