Sonnets/ City Eclogue

 The week of sonnets

Last week of class we discussed the symbols within poetry.  By analyzing the language used in each poem we could better understand what the author said.  I've never been much of a poet but I've learned a lot by the few works of art that we worked through the period of class.  The language is stronger and more vivid in some poets compared to others such as William Shakespeare.

We spent a rather large portion of the period discussing sonnets.  I learned what a sonnet actually was dealing with the rhyming schemes, format, and structures.  I find it really amazing how Shakespeare could write the stressed differences in syllables.  I really liked the poem 130 how it dealt with almost down talking his mistress yet in a romantic truth.  

The class then shifted from the works of Shakespeare to the more modern poetry.  We read sonnets by Harryette Mullen which was very similar in the confusing descriptive wording but with more terms we use today.  I mean Twinkies and pizza parlors were before Shakespeare's time period and even though I understood the words the meanings were still somewhat confusing like the legendary poet Shakespeare.  Now we are given an assignment of writing our own sonnets for class this week and I think I've done a pretty well job and can't wait to share them with you. 

Also we have read and analyzed the book of poetry by Ed Roberson.  This book was a very different experience for me but a good eye opener.  A lot the poetry talks about nature, values of life, different outlooks on the city life, and sexuality.  I like the spaces in some of the poems like "Engine" how it has the blues separated on its own line given stress to that word.  It's very creative and full of metaphors that make me think beyound the words writen on the page.

After reading through this book I've learnd that poetry most isn't always about the best rhymes, but getting your point across.  You don't have to speak one hundred percent on what is and its okay to leaves the reader confused because they'll seek to reread and get the deeper meanings or potenally gain some new insight that others do not see.  The metaphors are so strong I had to reread a few of them several times just to understand them.  Like I believe "Idyll" and "Standing Strong" had different meanings behind them.

J. T Fluellen's thoughts.