PURITAN SONNET
1. Identify the rhyme scheme of the poem
ABBA ABBA CDE CDE
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).
u ^ u ^ u ^ u ^ u ^
There's some/thing in/ this rich/ness that/ I hate.
u ^ u ^ u ^ u ^ u ^
Bare hills, / cold sil/ver on/ a sky / of slate,
u ^ u ^ u ^ u ^ u ^
I love/ those skies,/ thin blue/ or sno/wy gray,
3. Identify at least 5 images in the poem (Try to find images that appeal to different senses)
Bare hills, cold silver on a sky of slate, - touch
That spring, briefer than apple blossom's breath, - taste
A thread of water, churned to milky spate- touch
Of landscapes drawn in pearly monotones. - sight
Summer, so much too beautiful to stay,- sight
4. Identify the problem (situation) and solution in the sonnet
The author does not like the seasons of spring, summer, and fall and prefers winter.
5. Define the words austere, immaculate, and sheaves
austere- Strict or severe in discipline
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)
I love the look,
silver on a sky of slate
briefer than apple blossom's breath
7. What is the speaker's attitude toward the New England winter landscape?
That is the season which they prefer the most. They like how it is long-lasting and wont change; it gives you what you expect to be of winter: cold.
8. What view of life does the poem present?
This shows that the author likes things that last and that are dependable.