Poem Analysis: Blistered By Gail Foster

The Sonnet, derived from the Italian word sonetto which means "a little sound or song." Traditionally the sonnet form of poetry is created with 14 lines written in iambic pentameter, has a fixed form, and employs one of many rhyme schemes. The original and most common form is the Italian sonnet. Also referred to as the Petrarchan, named after the Italian poet Petrarch who is considered one of its greatest practitioners. The Italian form has two stanzas. The first stanza is the octave, eight lines posing a question or argument, with the rhyme scheme of abba, abba. The second stanza is the sestet, the six-line resolution to the argument presented within the octave. The sestet follows the rhyme scheme cdecde or cdcdcd. Authors use what's known …show more content…
The structure follows the Petrarchan format of an octave followed by a sestet, making a total of fourteen lines. The rhyme scheme follows the abba abba cde cde pattern. Foster’s diction creates a sharp cadence when read aloud, and a dispirited tone throughout the poem. This piece seems to be about grieving a broken heart as Foster mentions “days of loss and loneliness,” and “in ruins lies the love we held so dear.” The gloomy mood is reinforced repeatedly as the author takes the reader through fourteen lines of hopelessness, sinking deeper into despair with each line until the last two lines. “My heart, my fingers, too burnt to forget/ All blistered, from the flame I hold for him.” These lines suggest Foster is still holding on to her love for “him” although holding on is painful, making her lost lover the resolution to the pain she is feeling. She uses imagery to paint the picture of this break up. “By some abyss of faith too wide to leap in ruins lies the love we held so dear,” the abyss, faith, and ruins are metaphors for unseen forces too great to avoid or move past that led to the breakup. One could interpret the theme of this piece to be that a bad breakup can leave one in a