TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1. Table of contents 2. Poem with the image 3. William Shakespeare b) Personal response c) Content 4. Form b) Syntax
5. Imagery b) Language c) Figurative language 6. Song 7. Image 8. Will. I. Am b) Argument of the song c) Vocabulary 9. Bibliographical references
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My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress when she walks treads on the ground. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare.
W. Shakespeare
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WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (26 April 1564- April 1616) He was born in Stanford-on-Avon On 26th, April. He was a poet and a playwright. He was known as ‘’Bard of Avon’’. His work includes 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two narrative poems, two epitaphs on a man named John Combe, one epitaph on Elias James and other poems. He wrote drama like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet or Macbeth. These books are very popular nowadays. Shakespeare went to the Grammar School but he left it when he was young because his parents had some problems. However he is considered an educated man. He started writing when he was living in London and there he had different jobs. When he returned to Stanford-on-Avon he published the poem Venus and Adonis, and it was successful. He got married when he was 18 with a woman older than him, but he had several mistresses. They had three children. He died on 23th, April.
ANALYZING POETRY: PERSONAL RESPONSE The principal theme of the poem is the author’s feelings. He tells us some characteristics of a girl. He says to us that she isn't special, other girls are prettier than her, nature is more beautiful than her but she has something that makes her special and different and he loves her for that. The girl is dark skinned and in that time the perfect girls were blond. I like this poem because Shakespeare is trying to say that superficial beauty is not so important, the true beauty is the internal one. A person can’t love someone just for his/her appearance.
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The title talks about what the author feels. It tells us that the author thinks that he is a little thing in the world; he hasn’t anything special in comparison with the sun, in that case.
CONTENT: The speaker is the author, he is an omniscient narrator and he refers to himself in first person. He is from the sixteenth century so it changes my understanding of the speaker’s attitude because in those years the superficial beauty was the most important. The tone is used to create imagery because there are a lot of comparisons. It
doesn’t change, it’s the same at the beginning and at the end, but there’s a little difference, at the end the author recognizes his love for her. There is an external conflict because he tries to explain that she must be different in the society. Instead of being the prettiest woman she is incredible and she has personality. The conflict isn’t resolved. He makes comparisons with beauty elements and he ends saying that he loves her for her internal beauty.
The poem doesn’t have an exact date. In those years Maria I was the queen of England, after her father Enrique VII but England lost the city of Calais against France. Also, Enrique VII created the Anglican religion; Copernic said that the Sun was the center of the universe, and Leonardo Da Vinci started to paint La Mona Lisa.
FORM: The poem is a sonnet. It has 14 hendecasyllabic lines and it is formed by two quatrains and two tercets. The first quatrain introduces the theme and the other stanzas develop it. The last stanza is different because it talks about the author feelings and the other describes the girl. In the quatrains the first line rimes with the fourth and the second with the third. In the first tercet the first rimes with the third, in the second one the second rimes with the third. Although the two last lines rime which are very common in Shakespeare’s poems.
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SYNTAX: The sentence stops with a thought; each sentence expresses an idea at the end of some sentences there are commas. There are active verbs. The poet uses the present because he is talking about his mistress’ features and the girl exists. The author uses complete sentences. He describes her in each sentence. At the end of each sentence there is a coma because he is listing the features of that girl, so the pauses are at the end of each sentence. You can read the poem altogether but you must respect the rhythm. He uses commas and stops.
IMAGERY The images are concrete. The poem always offers you the same image: a girl who isn’t the prettiest or the typical perfect woman but she is incredible and he is in love with her. Shakespeare tries to express that the most important is to love someone for his/her personality not just for his/her physical appeal. The poem reminds me that men prefer the typical perfect girl who is tall, thin, with long legs and pretty. And there are other girls that maybe aren’t so pretty but they are intelligent and funny and they are worth being love
LANGUAGE: The words are modern but some of them are traditional words, in spite of the fact he was born in the sixteenth century and these words were natural in this poem the theme is very clear. For example, he uses the verb to be always in infinitive when he wants to say are or is. Some adjectives are repeated so it means that the author gives more emphasis. They are metaphorical, for example: black wires grow in her head. But they are concrete; they make you think in concrete images. You read the poem like a list of things, with that intonation, however at the end he tells us his feelings
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun: Simile I think my love as rare: Simile As any she belied by false compare: Simile If snow be white, why then then her breasts are dun: Personification If hair be wires, black wires grow in her head: Metaphor 5
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red: Hyperbole
ANALYTHING SONGS: Hall of Fame by Will.I.Am Yeah, You could be the greatest You can be the best You can be the king kong banging on your chest You could beat the world You could beat the war You could talk to God, go banging on his door You can throw your hands up You can be the clock You can move a mountain You can break rocks You can be a master Don't wait for luck Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself Standing in the hall of fame And the world's gonna know your name Cause you burn with the brightest flame And the world's gonna know your name And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame You could go the distance You could run the mile You could walk straight through hell with a smile You could be the hero You could get the gold Breaking all the records that thought never could be broke Do it for your people Do it for your pride Never gonna know if you never even try 6
Do it for your country Do it for you name Cause there's gonna be a day When you’re, standing in the hall of fame And the world's gonna know your name Cause you burn with the brightest flame And the world's gonna know your name And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame Be a champion, be a champion, be a champion, be a champion On the walls of the hall of fame
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WILL.I.AM William Adams was born in California on March, the fifteen of 1975. He is a singer, a composer, and a member of the group The Black Eyed Peas. He has a record company: A M Records. He started his career doing rap in the street. His first song was Merry Muthafuckin' Xmas and his artistic name was Will-1X. He worked with the rapper Eazy-E in Ruthless Records but when he died he started singing with The Black Eyed Peas. Between 2001 and 2003 he recorded some songs alone. He also worked with Michael Jackson in 2006; they recorded the 25 anniversary of Thriller. Some years later he composed songs for popular artists like Flo-Rida, Michael Jackson or Britney Spears. In 2008 he wrote the song “Yes we can’’ to support Barack’s Obama campaign. Will.I.Am designed clothes too. ARGUMENT: The song talks about there is nothing impossible to do. You must believe in yourself and you can do everything you want. You can be the best, the champion in everything you do. If you want to do something do it, try and never give you up because everything is possible. It doesn’t mind the job you do, everyone must have the same possibilities and everyone can choose their way. If you don’t know how to do something try and try and try till you get your objective because you are special and people will scream your name. You can be famous and there are no limits. Just follow your dreams.
VOCABULARY: Wires: Alambre Breast: Pecho Mistress: Amante Reeks: Hedor 8
Tread: Pisar Belie: Contradecir Grant: Conceder Rare: Raro, especial Dun: Pardo
Bang: Golpear, dar en el blanco Give up: Rendirse
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES: Luly. Luly’s diary. http://lulysdiary.blogspot.com.es/2009/03/soy-diferente-ti.html [Accessed 28/02/2013].
Marc and Angel Hack Life. http://www.marcandangel.com/2009/08/17/how-to-be-the-best-you-can-be/ [Accessed 28/02/2013]. Wikipedia. http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_shakespeare [Accessed 27/02/2013] Wikipedia. http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will.i.am [Accessed 28/02/ 2913]
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POEMS AND POETRY 10
Vanesa Cao Viña, 4ºA 1/03/2013
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