WilliamLine

= "Sonnet" by Billy Collins =

William Line

All we need is fourteen lines, well, thirteen now, and after this one just a dozen to launch a little ship on love's storm-tossed seas, then only ten more left like rows of beans. How easily it goes unless you get Elizabethan and insist the iambic bongos must be played and rhymes positioned at the ends of lines, one for every station of the cross. But hang on here while we make the turn into the final six where all will be resolved, where longing and heartache will find an end, where Laura will tell Petrarch to put down his pen, take off those crazy medieval tights, blow out the lights, and come at last to bed. [|Poem Audio]

Way 1: First Impressions
When I first read this poem, I see a poem about a poem. The speaker takes you through a journey of the specifics of a sonnet, using a lot of imagery. It is apparent that the speaker has a great liking of poems, specifically sonnets. Sonnets are typically love poems, so this one is a little off kilter, perhaps a love poem about sonnets (Poetic Form:Sonnet)? The poem goes into great depth of the details a sonnet consists of. The poem is called sonnet and is about a sonnet, but it doesn't really appear to be a traditional sonnet to me. It is 14 lines as a sonnet should be, but it isn't iambic pentameter and does not have any rhyme scheme that typically appear in sonnets (Poetic Form:Sonnet). The poem says that a sonnet includes iambic components and end rhymes, yet this poem fails to include them. It is perhaps mocking the strictness of the traditional sonnet, walking you through each point specifically, and referring to the iambic components as "bongos". Sonnets also have a change of pace, or "turn" if you will, as described in this poem. The fact the poem specifically states that a turn is coming in in line 9 seems to be quite important to the poem. As the poem is coming to an end, it alludes to Petrarch, who often wrote sonnets about his beloved Laura (Petrarch). This is strategically placed in the end, as Laura is telling Petrarch to "put down his pen". Sonnets have a variety of ways to be written, most common of which are described in this poem. The poem is literally walking you through itself, a sonnet, yet most of these common aspects are left out. The sonnet may be saying that in order to make a sonnet, you don't need to follow all of these rules exactly.

Way 2: Engaging with the Text
 When I start out reading, the poem sounds very loose and unconventional. The beginning seems sudden, as the speaker jumps right into the subject with no lead up. The fact that there are no rhymes until the end keeps this loose feeling. It sounds like someone is holding your hand walking you through this journey of a sonnet. When I read the phrase iambic bongos, then see no conventional iamb in the poem, it makes me feel that the speaker is trying to make a point about sonnet structure. Perhaps he believes that a sonnet does not have to have these rules in order to be a traditional sonnet. The lack of a normal rhyme scheme also aids to this thought. There is an easy change of pace when the speaker specifically states, and makes, the turn in line 9. The rhyme at the end of the poem makes it feel like a very smooth conclusion.

Way 3: Form and its Relationship to Content
"Sonnet" by Billy Collins is written loosely in sonnet form. The fact that the main subject of the poem is the general form of sonnets is quite ironic. This sonnet, though, is very non-traditional. It does have 14 lines, which is typical of a sonnet. But it lacks a rhyme scheme or any coherent iamb, both of which are usually common in any sonnet. It does have a "turn" at line 9, which is not so uncommon in traditional sonnets. This form is vital into the real meaning of the poem's content. Sure it only has some parts of a sonnet but it is missing a lot, yet it is still a recognizable sonnet. Perhaps the form is saying that when you read this poem, it appears to be a sonnet even though it doesn't have all of those specific details of a "traditional" sonnet. 

Way 4: Unpacking an Instance of Figurative Language
Line three, “to launch a little ship on love’s storm-tossed seas” is a great representation of quite a metaphor. Part of it is comparing love to a very rough sea. At the same time, it describes how the task of writing this poem is similar to launching a ship on said sea. Love is not literally anything like a body of water. Attaching this phrase to the word love gives the reader a more well known understanding of what the task of writing a poem is like.

By calling the ship “little”, it is making the task of writing this poem look as if it is difficult to achieve. Without this word, you may view a large ship, one that may not be affected by such rough seas. By comparing love to, specifically, a storm tossed sea, we get an image of something that is so complex. Without the word love, we lose a lot of the complexity that the speaker is trying to put out. It is then just a simple storm-tossed sea, and not as involved. When you put this “little” ship in that image, you feel that the ship may not survive. This word choice helps to get the correct message across.

Given these components, we are able to unlock the underlying meaning of this metaphor. The message is that writing a successful sonnet is a tough task. To get the poem started so that it will be a success is the toughest challenge of all. One simple poem is such a small thing, and the world of poetry with all its rules is just so large. Dropping this poem in this complex world is not likely to have the desired results. To be accepted in this world and to follow the many rules of writing sonnets is a great challenge. Like this poem says, it is tough to write a poem (launch a ship) into the world of critics and reviews (the storm tossed sea). A ship will most often not survive the sea. Likewise, a sonnet will more likely fail to be a good one as viewed by its readers.

This work of literature is about the journey and complexities of writing a sonnet. As the poem goes on, the content is a mirror of what would actually be represented in a sonnet at that point. This metaphor is located near the beginning of the poem when it is getting started. The speaker wanted to give the reader a feel for what it is like to write such a work of art. By placing this line here, he is warning the reader of the complexity and unyielding task that lies ahead. 

Way 4: Unpacking another Instance of Figurative Language
A simile in this poem occurs in line four with “then only ten more like rows of beans”. This simile is comparing the lines of a poem, specifically a sonnet in this case, to rows of beans. We know it is the lines of the poem it is comparing to rows of beans because in the first two lines of the poem it is discussing the number of lines that are left to be written in this sonnet. It is a simile because it is comparing these two unlike things using the word “like”.

The word choice in this poem displays the simplicity of the lines. Rows of “beans” are very simple, ordinary things that are easy to picture. Applying this to the lines of the poem give us a very clear view of how the lines are displayed. The speaker also says “only” ten more, again adding that the poem is already not too far from being complete.

This simile of simplicity helps to get the point across that a sonnet should be simpler than many people try to make it. By comparing the lines of the poem to something so simple, you don’t view a sonnet as being so complex. This is the point of the poem and how this comparison connects to it. There are so many rules and technicalities expected to be followed in a traditional sonnet, that the speaker doesn’t believe all are necessary. He believes that a poem can be a sonnet without following all these rules. By making this comparison, he is putting the reader in a mode that a sonnet can actually be quite simple. 

Way 4: Unpacking another Instance of Figurative Language
An instance of allusion occurs in line twelve with, “where Laura will tell Petrarch to put down his pen.” This line is alluding to Petrarch, an Italian poet, known for writing sonnets about his love for a woman named Laura (Petrarch). Since this poem is a sonnet about the details of a sonnet, the inclusion of Laura and Petrarch really goes along with this theme. Sonnets are typically love poems, and who better to represent this often used detail of love then Petrarch and Laura. This line is strategically placed as the poem is coming to an end. Since the end of the poem is near, this is the point where Laura would be telling Petrarch that the poem is over and he should finish up now. The two lines following that (the final two lines of the poem) continue with this allusion of completing the sonnet, just as this particular sonnet is being completed.

Way 4: Unpacking another Instance of Figurative Language
Imagery is evident throughout this poem that really helps to give the reader images in their head. These images help the speaker to better get his point across to the reader. One of the most vivid images comes in line 3 with the metaphor, "to launch a little ship on love's storm-tossed seas". This creates a vivid image of a giant, rough body of water, which helps to get the point of the metaphor across. First that love is a very rough journey, and second that writing a sonnet can be rough and intense as well.

Another great piece of imagery occurs in line 13 when Laura tells Petrarch to "take off those crazy medieval tights". This helps create the image in the mind of the reader that Petrarch did indeed write a long time ago. It helps the speaker's message that the history of sonnets goes way back, and the rules are very dated. It makes his challenge to the traditional sonnet seem that much more substantial.

Way 5: Analyzing the Setting
The Setting of this poem is, perhaps, the piece of paper on which the poem is being written. One may also presume the setting is inside the speaker's head, where his ideas are coming from. For this poem specifically, though, the setting is not all that important. There aren't any actions or events occurring in the poem other than the writing, a reason for the lack of a distinct setting. It is a poem describing the aspects of a sonnet, a walk through if you will, so there isn't really much of a need to have an explicit setting. This helps to keep the focus on the message about sonnets that this poem is trying to get across.

Way 6: Identifying and Analyzing Point of View
The Point of View of this poem is in the first-person. This is evident in the first line of the poem when the narrator states, “All **we** need…” This evidence pops up again in line 9 when the narrator tells us to “…hang on here while **we** make the turn”. These instances of the word “we” are the key pieces of evidence the reader has in clearly determining this point of view.

The speaker of this poem is essentially unknown. The narrator is only explaining the subject to us, and we never learn anything about him/her. The only thing we can imply is that it is a person with distinct knowledge and feelings about poetry, specifically sonnets.

There aren’t really any limitations due to the point of view in this specific poem. Nothing would really be gained in having any other point of view. The narrator seems to have vast knowledge of the subject, which is the focus of the poem.

Using the first person point of view gives the reader a more personal experience with the subject matter. Since the narrator is walking us through the specifics of a sonnet, this personal feel helps us to connect with it more. The use of the word “we” really sucks the reader into the poem making them feel like they are a part of it. Any other point of view would lose the instances of “we”, as well as that personal feel the reader has with the speaker and poem itself.

Way 7: Analyzing Complexity, Ambiguity, & Difficulty
An instance of ambiguity that is evident in this poem is in line three when the speaker is explaining how many lines we need “to launch a little ship on love’s storm-tossed seas”. This line can be interpreted a few different ways by the reader. The most obvious way is its literal meaning. The reader is explaining that all we need is this many lines to launch this ship. But it is apparent that this line has a deeper meaning. The reader could say that this line represents beginning a loving relationship. That launching the ship is initiating the love. And that love is such a complex, crazy thing at times, like a storm-tossed sea. This meaning is evident because of the use of the word love, and that launching a ship may be a metaphor. Finally, a deeper meaning could be that launching the ship represents the beginning of writing this poem. And that love’s storm-tossed seas represent the complexity of the project of writing this particular type of poem. One could believe in this meaning because the poem preceding this line is only about the lines of the poem. So the reader can conclude that this line is continuing the thought process about the lines in the poem. Having this ambiguity helps to show the reader how complex writing a sonnet can be made. That there are so many different interpretations of how one should “correctly” write a sonnet. This line helps to represent this overall ambiguity of the structure of sonnets as a whole.

The difficulty encountered in reading this text is the task of trying to figure out the message, or point, of this poem. This is mostly due to the fact that the speaker is literally explaining the aspects of a sonnet within this sonnet, yet he doesn’t include the aspects himself. For example, in line six he explains that they “insist iambic bongos must be played”, yet he fails to include any iamb himself. Also in the next line he explains that there will be “rhymes positioned at the ends of lines”. Once again, he doesn’t include this in his poem. On the other hand though, he does include some of the aspects that he claims must be in a sonnet, such as the 14 lines, and the turn. This leads to some difficulty by the reader in deciphering what the speaker is trying to get across. Perhaps the speaker includes this confusion to represent how confusing the rules of writing sonnets can actually be. Sonnets are a complex form of poem with many rules, so they can be hard to write at times. By including confusion in the poem like this, it gives the reader a first-hand look at sonnet structure complexity.

Way 8: Considering Canonicity
This text could definitely be considered for its inclusion in the cannon of literature. The way the speaker challenges the traditional rules of sonnet-writing is so unique and subtle that it is valuable for any student to read. Anyone learning literature can learn a lot about sonnet writing just from reading this poem. They learn about the content of a sonnet, including the rules and aspects of a typical traditional sonnet. The reader also learns a little bit of important history about sonnets with the allusion to Laura and Petrarch. The challenge to the rules of sonnet writing made by Collins shows a totally different way of writing. It also shows that it is ok to challenge the traditional school of thought. A key component to literature is to study the old ways and develop new ways of writing. The use of figurative language in this poem is also done quite well. The simile’s and metaphor’s create a different way of looking at the content, while the imagery gives the reader something to visualize. Overall, this poem offers up a totally different approach to writing, showing the reader that following tradition isn’t always necessary.

Way 9: Biographical Context
A typical biography of Collins gives me some insights into why he may write like he did in this poem. It is a very informative poem looking into the structure of traditional sonnets, often very critical. After doing some research, we learn that Collins has a PhD in literature, and is now a professor of English ( Collins, Billy, (b. 1941)). This tells me that he has been studying literature most of his life, gaining him the ability to critique and give his opinion of literature all he wants. This is exactly what he does in this poem. His years of studying poems, specifically sonnets, has certainly molded him a strong opinion, which he displays in "Sonnet". His knowledge definitely makes his opinion valid for any student of literature to study and consider.

Way 10: Historical and Cultural Contexts
Knowing the history of Laura and Petrarch is important in understanding the allusion in line 12, "where Laura will tell Petrarch to put down his pen". Petrarch was a famous Italian poet, of which includes sonnets, where Laura would “inspire his great vernacular love lyrics (Petrarch).” With this knowledge of who these characters are, we know that Collins is referring to a famous sonnet writer, along with that man's greatest influence. We are now aware that Collins is comparing the winding down of this poem to Laura telling Petrarch to finish up, most likely at writing a sonnet himself. This reference fits quite well considering Petrarch had such a great influence on literature, and life, during his time. Having this historic knowledge helps us understand the conclusion of this poem more fully.

Way 11: Theoretical Application
A New Critical approach to this poem would focus on the actual content and form, and not on the motive of the author or affect it has on the reader. The critic would focus on the significance of the figurative language in this poem especially. They would ask how these things contribute to the quality and content of the poem. They might say that the metaphor in line 3 really does a good job in displaying this difficult task. Also, how the simile in line 4 gets the point across easily that the poem will be over in no time. The theorist would observe that the poem recognizes its structural components as they occur in the poem itself (or not). They note that in line 7 the poem speaks of rhymes, yet it doesn’t include any rhyme scheme itself. Same with the mentioning of the iamb, but there isn't a noticeable iamb pattern. Also, they would observe how the “turn” is mentioned in line 9, where the turn is actually occurring in this poem, giving it a smooth transition. The critics would certainly note that the poem ends well with the lights going out and the characters going to bed.

New Critics would not consider the point the author may be trying to get across about the structure of sonnets. Though this poem seems to be challenging the traditional sonnet and how it is to be written, the critical theorist would not recognize this motive. They would also stay away from what feelings this poem may give the reader about their view of sonnets. The theorist would keep all his focus on the quality of this poem, and how well it works.

Way 12: Another Theoretical Application
A reader-response criticism would focus on the typical reaction the average reader would have upon reading this poem. They would do their best to represent the feelings and points that are brought upon to the reader. A main topic for this critic may be how this poem makes the reader feel about the sonnet category of poem. Does this poem make the reader feel that traditional sonnets are too structured? Perhaps it makes the reader feel that poems should not have to be so structured, and that this poem proves to them that in order to be good, you don’t have to follow a specific pattern. Does it affect the reader that the author mentions necessary components to sonnets, yet doesn’t include them? The critic may describe how this poem can be a very educational experience, as it gives the basic structure of a sonnet. The average reader may not initially know what a sonnet is, so this sonnet would teach them the basics of the traditional one. The critic may ask what affect the figurative language has on the poem. The imagery certainly does a great job in making the poem come to life and become more visible. This helps makes it more than just a simple poetic description of a sonnet for the reader. Instead you are brought on a vivid journey through the process of writing a sonnet. The simile and metaphor make the process of writing a sonnet easier to understand for the average reader. This is the kind of critique a reader-response critic would provide.

Way 13: Unifying Interpretation
The poem, “Sonnet’ by Billy Collins is quite unique in many ways. It has a structure that really helps to bring out the point of the poem. Meanwhile, its content is contradictory to itself. This sounds pretty crazy, but these aspects all together make this a great piece of literature.

“Sonnet” has the basic structure of a sonnet with 14 lines, the topic of love, and a turn, but no iambic pentameter or rhyme scheme. The figurative language in the poem really helps to bring the poem to life. If it were just a text rambling on about the structure of a sonnet, it would get quite boring. But this sonnet uses a metaphor, simile, allusion, and vivid imagery to make the poem active and real. It puts images and ideas in your head that help you to truly understand the point the author is getting across. The metaphor of the storm tossed seas really gives the reader the feel of what a challenge it is to write a sonnet. The simile comparing lines to rows of beans shows how simple a poem can flow from one line to the next. The allusion to Laura and Petrarch is a nice touch considering they had such a great influence on the sonnet genre. When you know the history of poetry and specifically Petrarch, it really adds to your understanding of this part. The fact that the author closes with this point really gives it a smooth ending. The point of view of this poem is in the first person. This really aids to making the poem easy and fun to follow along with. It makes it seem as though the author is holding your hand on this journey through a sonnet.

The content of “Sonnet” really stands out to make it unique. It lacks a plot, main characters, or even a distinct setting. The main subject of the poem is the structure and contents of a traditional sonnet, yet this poem fails to completely follow that structure or to include those aspects. All this is what makes this poem so great though, creating its uniqueness. It doesn’t have many of the basics of poems, and strays away from the necessities of the usual sonnet. It is as if the speaker is saying, sure the “traditional” sonnet includes these aspects, but this poem is just as good as any other sonnet without all those things. His point may be that the goal of studying literature is to continually study ways of writing, modifying old ways, and creating new ways. If we stick to the old way of doing anything, society would get nowhere, which is the case in poetry. Continuing evolution of poetry will bring out the best in every writer, and give us the best possible literature. Here, Collins is proving to the audience that he didn’t need to follow any distinct rules to make this poem a traditional sonnet, and, in fact, it is a traditional sonnet in its own right.

Works Cited and Consulted
“Collins, Billy, (b. 1941).” __Columbia__ __Granger's Poetry Database__. EBSCOhost. 23 July 2009 .

“Petrarch”. 1 January 2009: 1. __Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition.__ EBSCOhost. 23 July 2009 

"Poetic Form: Sonnet ." //poets.org//. Academy of American Poets. 23 Jul 2009 .