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Why Bother Reading Poetry When We Can Read Spark notes
When poets write their work, they do so with the intention of passing on information concerning different areas of interest. Poetry offers a way for the poet to express his feelings, thoughts and opinion. A poet can communicate to the reader in various forms. For instance, figurative language in poetry enables the poet to express his ideas boldly. It enables the reader to say more, using fewer words. It adds to the richness of the work, and it helps to make abstract ideas real, by evoking the readers’ senses. Early poets used a prescribed format, and followed certain rules, to present their poetry in a literal sense. Earlier readers were aware of the patterns and rules, and they related to the themes expressed in the poem. Times have however changed, and it has become increasingly difficult for present readers to enjoy the classic poems. This is especially because of the language change. Nowadays, students, or anyone else who comes across a classic poem, often seek help from online sources to help in interpreting the poem. An example of such an online resource is Sparknotes, which has interpreted many classical works. It has also translated some of the classical poems to modern versions. This has benefited the students in some way, since it helps them understand the central meaning of the poem. It uses a different form when translating the poems, and this changes the essential elements of the poem. Although modern texts in the online resources help to guide the students in interpreting the poem, students should not disregard the original texts as they contain the essence of the poems.
Sonnet CXVI: “Let me not to the Marriage of True Minds” by William Shakespeare, is an account of true love. The speaker explains why true love never disappears, and why it endures until death. In both the modern and the classic texts, the central idea and theme in the poem is love. The modern text however, lacks some of the special effects that are present in the classic text, making it less powerful than the classic text. The lines in the modern texts have been altered to a great degree, and some of the lines have been excluded. For instance, the second line in the original text has the words, “admit impediments”, and these words have not been included in the modern text. Most readers relate these words to wedding scenes. The modern text however lacks these words. The modern translation does not provoke the reader to think about a wedding. Many brides and grooms have used the classic poem as part of their vows, because it has seemed relevant for them to do so. Readers who come across the translated modern text would not think of reciting it on their wedding day, since there is nothing to imply its relevance to a wedding setting.
Some of the stylistic and literal devices present in the classic text are missing in the modern text. Polyptonon is used in the original text. This is the repetition of a word in the same sentence, using different forms. For instance, in the third line, the poet uses “alter” and “alteration”, and in the fourth line, he uses “remover” and “remove”. The poet has also used synecdoche, which involves rhetorical or metaphorical substitution. In the seventh line, the poet says, “It is the star to every wand’ring bark”. He has substituted ship for bark. In the tenth line, the poet has alliterated “compass” and “come”. Alliteration appeals to emotional response and it gives the idea of time passing, thus making an emphasis on limited time in human’s life He made this sound arrangement because he wanted to point out the difference between the eternality of true love and the short term of human life. He wants to affirm to his readers that true love will never disappear. The use of sound in the poem gives readers an unforgettable feeling, which is not present in the translated text.
The modern text is more concerned with interpreting the text that it misses some of the stylistic devices that are present in the classic texts. Sound is one of the most important features in the classic text. The translated text lacks the rhythm and rhymes present in the classic text. The original text is a classic sonnet, with fourteen lines. It is written in iambic pentameter. Each of the three quatrains has two rhymes. The last two lines are a couplet, and they rhyme. A reader enjoys as he or she reads the last two lines in the original poem, because of their pleasing sound, which is enhanced by the rhyme. This is however different in the translated modern text, which lacks this element. The last two lines in the poem are, “If these be error and upon me prov’d, I never writ, nor no man ever lov’d.” the lines not only rhyme, but they also display the sincerity of the poem. The reader can see that he is interested in, and he values love. The lines cannot compare with the last lines of the modern text, which read as follows, “If I’m wrong about this and can be proven wrong, I never wrote, and no man ever loved.” It seems like the writer in the modern text is more interested that his readers try to prove him wrong, than to seek true love. With these, one can see that the modern text changes the meaning of the poem.
In first stanza, “minds” (1) matches “finds” (3). “Love” (2) matches “remove” (4). In second stanza, “mark” (5) matches “bark” (7). “Shaken” (6) matches “taken” (8). In the third stanza, “cheeks (9)” matches “weeks (11)” and “prov’d (11)” matches “lov’d (12)”. This sound technique improves the flow of the poem. It allows the poem to be read as we are listening to the music. Another obvious sound check is “O no!” (5). It is a stress after stress sound, emphasizing the speaker’s claim that true love is unchanged. Most people may recognize this sign as a turning point because it is the position, which starts talking about how truelove never disappears. However, what translated text is not able to imitate is the speaker’s position. It writes the words as, “O no,” and this does not have the same effect. The exclamation mark at the end of the words in the classic text makes a big difference. It changes the way the readers read the poem, and the way they interpret the lines following.
Response is very important when reading poetry. Readers respond to different parts of the poem, which are perhaps based on their life experiences, or the way that the poet has used the words. When we hear the word, “O no!” we would intuitively think that it is a real person talking, not an unanimated object. The words evoke the readers’ emotions in different ways, as they may express shock, disbelief or regret. The modern text omits these words, and thus lacks the emotional appeal that is present in the classic text. This omission denies readers the chance to respond to the poem as they are supposed to.
Due to the complexity of the classical poetry, online interpretation sources have been relied on to give readers a more understandable sense. They make reading and understanding the classical texts easier for the students. They encourage the readers to read the poem, since they are written in a language that it easy to understand. Today readers find the classical texts more relevant to their situation. However, the translated text can somehow distort the original meaning of the poetry or even fail to give readers a deeper and thoughtful meaning. On the contrary, original text can give us what is not found in the modern text, which is the emotional appeal. In “Let me not to the Marriage of True Minds”, the figurative words are good use of appealing to readers’ mind. The sound arrangement such as alliteration, rhythm sound and continuous stress enhance the flow of the entire poem. It pleases to readers’ ears and gives us a memorable feeling to the poem. Only when we read Shakespeare’s poem by ourselves can we see the true meaning behind his work.
Works Cited:
Shakespeare, William. “Let me not to the marriage of true minds.” Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. Ed. John Schilb and John Clifford. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martins, 2009. Print
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Shakespeare’s Sonnets.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 6 Mar 2012
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