Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Kaitlyn's Informal Research for Sonnet 29

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"Sometimes I feel sad." - Shakespeare, Sonnet 29
(Not really. But sort of.)

Traditional scholarly source
I found this article using EBSCO. This article uniquely helpful to me because it focuses more on the historical content of Sonnet 29, rather than straight contextual analysis. It expounds on Shakespeare’s feelings of inadequacy and self-consciousness (rather than the speaker's)—specifically about Edmund Spenser.


http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/classic_poems/2013/04/shakespeare_was_depressed_in_sonnet_29_the_bard_writes_of_disgrace_and_fortune.html


Informal online source
I used Schmoop to get an informal summary and analysis. Reading over the Schmoop notes helped me understand the poem more in general and also made it more relatable. The Schmoop analysis also pointed out really interesting connections between the mention of heaven at the beginning and end of the poem, and the significance of the vague "thee" at the volta. 


http://www.shmoop.com/sonnet-29/analysis.html

Media source      

  

This is a clip from Disney's Meet the Robinsons. The character in this clip, Good, walks the hallways at school; even though his peers reach out to greet him, he assumes they all hate him. The speaker in sonnet 29 is similarly jaded about everything in his life. He feels pathetic and lonely and assumes that everyone else is better looking than him or has better opportunities. He feels unpopular; claims he is a “disgrace” in the “eyes” of other “men.”


Social source

I asked Nik to read sonnet 29 and tell me what he thought. He said, “I read it. I get it.” ...Upon further probing he admitted that the line ‘I all alone beweep my outcast state’ is especially interesting to him because it reveals that the speaker operates under the assumption that no one cares about his loneliness. We ended up talking for a while about what loneliness means and who the "thee" at the end might represent--either a friend, lover, or even a relationship with God.

2 comments:

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  2. Its interesting to me that you used Slate.com as the source link for your traditional source, as I generally know it as a news/media site, I am interested to see how you use the information you gained within your analysis, also what is EBSCO? Sorry I am curious as using traditional sources via web as I am techie challenged. As for you analysis I love that you use Meet the Robinsons which is a great use for this poem especially if you look at the character's growth.
    *sorry realized I mistyped on my last comment.

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