Poetry /
Explicate a Poem (or in this case a Sonnet) [6]
Good afternoon!
In regards to your first post, MLA citation requires Poetry requires line citation rather than page numbers, and also that you keep the line breaks intact. For instance:
"Between my finger and my thumb / The squat pen rests. / I'll dig with it" (29-31).
It appears you have your citations correct in your draft.
In regards to your second post:
Liberty, Freedom
, and Respect in William Wordsworth's "To Toussaint L'Ouverture"
"In his sonnet, "To Toussaint L'Ouverture", Wordsworth depicts Napoleon's black prisoner as praiseworthy because of the justice of his cause, exalting his heroism by association with abstract ideals: "exultations, agonies, / and love, and man's unconquerable mind" (13-14). Toussaint's story is that of a hero and martyr, he was born a slave in Santo Domingo under French rule in 1743. He leads a slave revolt in 1792,
and rallies troops against the English when Revolutionary France abolish
es slavery in 1794. Toussaint set up a black republic until the French defeat and deport
ed him to France in 1801; he died two years later in prison."
"Wordsworth
is of the (How about changing this to "wrote in the") Romantic period and favors the Petrarchan sonnet type
, (Change this to a period.)he (Capitalize) creates a new poetic diction asserting that "the language [the common man speaks]
[. . .] (This extra set of brackets is unnecessary.) is plainer, more emphatic
[. . .]" (Again, these brackets are unnecessary.) (
Make sure you insert the source this quote came from, using their last name.) 715). This style makes his poetry accessible to the masses instead of only those with higher education
in (Change to "during".) the nineteenth century. The sonnet utilizes 14 lines, the first 8-line descriptive stanza is the octave and the 6-line reflective stanza is the
setstet (Change to "sestet".) . The first line depicts Toussaint
(Insert "as the") "most unhappy man of men!" (1) and the immediate reaction is to feel sympathy for this unfortunate person. Wordsworth then wonders if Toussaint can hear from his prison "the whistling Rustic tend his plough / within thy hearing
[. . .] (See my earlier note.) " (2). The connotation of the "whistling Rustic" indicates a happy farmer plowing the fields outside the prison window of Toussaint. Wordworth's use of the metaphor "thy head be now pillowed in some deep dungeon's earless den
; (Remove this semi colon.) " (4) portrays a comfortable feeling of the pillow which is soft and cushions the ear, however in this instance there is no ear. The "earless den" goes on to reaffirm the personification that Wordsworth incorporates into his sonnets.
" (Remove this quotation mark.)The sonnet addresses Toussaint, "O miserable Chieftain!" (5)
the (Capitalize "the".) word chieftain informs
(Insert "the reader that" this is a leader of
(Insert "a") group or tribe and the acknowledgement by Wordsworth shows the respect he feels for Toussaint and the struggles for his group. The lingering thought of the author
, "where and when wilt thou find patience?" (6) allows the reader to absorb the thought with the use of caesura. Wordworth states with
verbal (This is unnecessary.) irony
, "yet die not
[. . .] (See my earlier note.) wear rather in thy bonds a cheerful brow
: (Remove this as it is unnecessary.) " (6-7) as a person does not normally wear a bondage of chains with a "merry" attitude. Wordsworth uses the last line of the octave with acknowledgement that Toussaint has
, "fallen
[. . .] (See my earlier note.) never to rise again" (8) with tone that the end for Toussaint is occurring with the end of the stanza.
Wordsworth consoles the imprisoned man to "live, and take comfort" (9) as Toussaint is
an inspiration to others with his fight for freedom and liberty. The verse "thou hast left behind / powers that will work for thee; air, earth and skies" (9-10) repeats this and "the world" (air, earth and sky) and mankind will still champion the cause of freedom and liberty even though Toussaint is under arrest. The reference
, "There's not a breathing of the common wind / That will forget thee
; (Remove) " (11-12) and "Thy friends are exulations, agonies, / And love, and man's unconquerable mind" (12-14) indicate Wordsworth's patriotic feelings, revealing the social and political activities that are important to him. Frances Jessup states of the poet, "Wordsworth is both conscience of society and soul
[. . .] See my earlier note. " (369). The focus of the sonnet is not about death, dungeons
, and unhappiness-it is about Toussaint's love for his people, his determination for liberty and freedom. Wordsworth praises those abstract ideals of liberty and freedom, his respect for Toussaint and his heroic accomplishments with this sonnet."
Very nice work!
Regards,
Gloria
Moderator, EssayForum.com
