Emily Montemayor
Mrs. Stecker
AP Literature & Composition
1 February 2016
Thou Blind Man’s Mark
A burning desire can be the greatest motivator and the reason for one’s downfall. In the poem, “Thou Blind Man’s Mark” by Sir Philip Sidney, desire is the main theme, addressed in many ways and uses different techniques to exaggerate the complex attitude the speaker has towards desire. It is often personified as if it holds power over the speaker and he speaks of the hatred he has towards desire and uses a shift in the poem to exemplify an ironic tone. The poem starts off by personifying desire as a “blind man’s mark” and a “fool’s self-chosen snare.” Although not literally calling anyone blind, he uses this metaphoric phrase to illustrate that desire steers people to the wrong path because it “blinds” them from seeing the …show more content…
He states that desire has tried to pursue him “in vain” because no matter how hard it tried, the speaker no longer let it provoke him. He expresses that it has “taught” him a “better lesson” to only look within himself instead of looking around at others. Unfortunately his realization resulted in that he has the intention to “kill desire.” He wishes to destroy the thing that has caused him so much pain and made him an imbecile. This creates an ironic tone because throughout the poem he speaks of desire as such a sinister entity and explains how it can “mangle” one’s mind and make someone a “fool;” although, he recognizes its consequences, the speaker can not escape its aggressive clutch. “Thou Blind Man’s Mark” by Sir Philip Sidney uses techniques such as metaphors, personification, shift, and tone to illustrate the emotion the speaker has towards desire. He effectively portrays desire as a being that is able to hold much power over the speaker and uses irony and metaphors to expose the complex relationship between the speaker and
Mrs. Stecker
AP Literature & Composition
1 February 2016
Thou Blind Man’s Mark
A burning desire can be the greatest motivator and the reason for one’s downfall. In the poem, “Thou Blind Man’s Mark” by Sir Philip Sidney, desire is the main theme, addressed in many ways and uses different techniques to exaggerate the complex attitude the speaker has towards desire. It is often personified as if it holds power over the speaker and he speaks of the hatred he has towards desire and uses a shift in the poem to exemplify an ironic tone. The poem starts off by personifying desire as a “blind man’s mark” and a “fool’s self-chosen snare.” Although not literally calling anyone blind, he uses this metaphoric phrase to illustrate that desire steers people to the wrong path because it “blinds” them from seeing the …show more content…
He states that desire has tried to pursue him “in vain” because no matter how hard it tried, the speaker no longer let it provoke him. He expresses that it has “taught” him a “better lesson” to only look within himself instead of looking around at others. Unfortunately his realization resulted in that he has the intention to “kill desire.” He wishes to destroy the thing that has caused him so much pain and made him an imbecile. This creates an ironic tone because throughout the poem he speaks of desire as such a sinister entity and explains how it can “mangle” one’s mind and make someone a “fool;” although, he recognizes its consequences, the speaker can not escape its aggressive clutch. “Thou Blind Man’s Mark” by Sir Philip Sidney uses techniques such as metaphors, personification, shift, and tone to illustrate the emotion the speaker has towards desire. He effectively portrays desire as a being that is able to hold much power over the speaker and uses irony and metaphors to expose the complex relationship between the speaker and