Poetry is generally used to tell a story whether it be about love or an epic adventure. Sonnets specifically tend to deal with complications that come with love. Billy Collins however decided to go a different route in his poem “Sonnet.” His poem is a lesson about the sonnet and how he believes the form needs to change. He does this by explaining the different forms of a sonnet, by adding in characters to support his claims, and by using figurative language to emphasize the changes he believes need to be made.
Within the poem Collins explains the structure of a sonnet. In line one it says, “All we need is fourteen lines, well thirteen now,” the speaker is stating that a sonnet must have fourteen lines. Throughout the rest of the poem the speaker …show more content…
He begins this statement on line five when he declares, “How easily it goes unless you get Elizabethan.” Collins believes it is difficult to write in this form and uses the next two lines to explain why. Line six and seven say “and insist that iambic bongos must be played/and rhymes positioned at the ends of lines,” iambic in line six refers to iambic rhythm which starts with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Bongos are drums that given rhythm and so the word is used to emphasize the strict rhythm in an Elizabethan sonnet. The line that follows adds support to the claim that the Elizabethan sonnet is strict when it says, “and rhymes positioned at the ends of lines” (DiYanni 7). There is a specific rhyme used in Elizabethan sonnets that make it hard to find words that fit within the context of the poem while still being true to the rhyme. It almost seems as if Collins is making fun of poets who tried to write in this form. Collins briefly mentions another sonnet form on lines nine and ten. “But hang on here while we make the turn/into the final six where all will be resolved,” refers to the resolution in Petrarch sonnets. Petrarch sonnets resolve themselves in the last six lines. Petrarch sonnets also have a less strict structure than the Elizabethan
Within the poem Collins explains the structure of a sonnet. In line one it says, “All we need is fourteen lines, well thirteen now,” the speaker is stating that a sonnet must have fourteen lines. Throughout the rest of the poem the speaker …show more content…
He begins this statement on line five when he declares, “How easily it goes unless you get Elizabethan.” Collins believes it is difficult to write in this form and uses the next two lines to explain why. Line six and seven say “and insist that iambic bongos must be played/and rhymes positioned at the ends of lines,” iambic in line six refers to iambic rhythm which starts with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Bongos are drums that given rhythm and so the word is used to emphasize the strict rhythm in an Elizabethan sonnet. The line that follows adds support to the claim that the Elizabethan sonnet is strict when it says, “and rhymes positioned at the ends of lines” (DiYanni 7). There is a specific rhyme used in Elizabethan sonnets that make it hard to find words that fit within the context of the poem while still being true to the rhyme. It almost seems as if Collins is making fun of poets who tried to write in this form. Collins briefly mentions another sonnet form on lines nine and ten. “But hang on here while we make the turn/into the final six where all will be resolved,” refers to the resolution in Petrarch sonnets. Petrarch sonnets resolve themselves in the last six lines. Petrarch sonnets also have a less strict structure than the Elizabethan