To end our study of sonnets and the various ways we can respond to them, you will complete a 45 minute timed writing in response to one of the prompts below about the sonnet you presented.  When finished, place the timed writing in your portfolio; later, either you or I will decide if it is an essay to be graded.

Prompt 1: Write a critical essay in which you use the poetic techniques in the sonnet to support the thematic statement it makes.  For instance, I did Sonnet 116 so my thesis for this essay would be something like: In Sonnet 116, William Shakespeare expresses the theme that true love is an unshakable product of the mind through his use of sonnet structure, metaphor, and diction.

Helpful Hints: This one is for those of you who are more comfortable with traditional poetry analysis.  It is the safer of the two prompts in that most of you are familiar with it and do it pretty well.  I suggest you start by quickly jotting down your theme and a list of the techniques you want to use to support it.  I'd also go with a safe five paragraph essay form.

Prompt 2: Write a psychological analysis of the author of your sonnet.  What motivations - both conscious and unconscious - do you think the author had in writing the sonnet?  Why, exactly, did he use the techniques and images he put into the poem? Come to some conclusion as to what sort of person would write this sort of poem.

Helpful Hints: This one could be considered much more interesting and demanding. Of course, this means it is much more high-risk as you may or may not understand the workings of the subconscious or how a person expresses himself is a reflection of their inner selves.  Other dangers lurk in the fact that it's hard to see a connection between a specific image and the psychology of the author.  Nevertheless, this one is fun even if you are just taking guesses and just exploring ideas about how this might all work.