MIDTERM ESSAY EXAM
When you choose your topic, be sure to answer the question immediately. The best college essays will answer the question posed in the first paragraph (Usually in your first sentence and then they will develop that answer into your thesis statement). After the thesis paragraph, offer subsequent paragraphs with details, explanations, and quotations that support your answer. Finally, end with a clear restatement of your answer to the question.
CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TOPICS AND WRITE AN ESSAY:
Essay 1. How does a close reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” help us to understand the method, the motive, and the after effects of Montresor’s terrible crime?
Essay 2: How does Kate Chopin use ambiguity and irony to help us understand the social problems that face Louise Mallard in “The Story of an Hour.”
Essay 3. What kind of love does William Shakespeare’s describe in Sonnet 116 and what is unique in the poetic language he uses to describe it?
Essay 4. Both Aunt Jennifer in Adrienne Rich’s “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” and the speaker in Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” express defiance to a patriarchal figure. Which of these women seems stronger to you and why?
Remember, you should pick the topic that will help you show off your best writing and your best understanding of the literature.
Plagiarism check will apply, must be unique.
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“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool” is a famous quote from the renowned author William Shakespeare. Written in the early 17th century, the Sonnet is a powerful statement about the nature of true love and the unbreakable bonds that it creates. According to Lamb (2020), the Sonnet begins with the famous lines, “Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admit impediments.” These lines set the tone for the rest of the poem, which explores the idea that true love is a force that nothing can stop. The speaker says he will not allow anything to get in the way of the love he describes. The Sonnet goes on to describe the characteristics of true love (Lamb, 2020). The speaker declares true love is constant and unchanging, even in adversity. He compares it to a lighthouse that guides ships through the stormy seas, saying it “looks on tempests and is never shaken.” In other words, true love is not swayed by the ups and downs of life.
The speaker also emphasizes the importance of honesty in true love. According to Abdumurotovich (2023), Shakespeare says that love is not love “which alters when its alteration finds, / Or bends with the remover to remove.” In other words, true love does not change when circumstances change, and do not give up when things get difficult. Instead, it remains steadfast and true, even in adversity. The final couplet of the sonnet is perhaps the most famous (Abdumurotovich, 2023). The speaker declares that if what he has described is not true love, then he has never written anything, and no man has ever truly loved. These lines are a powerful statement of the speaker’s conviction in the truth of his words, and they underline the importance of true love in the world (Abdumurotovich, 2023). This paper discusses the kind of love that Shakespeare describes in the poem, and the language he uses to describe this love is unique through its poetic imagery and metaphors, its use of negation to emphasize the enduring qualities of love, and its simplicity and directness.
In Sonnet 116, William Shakespeare describes a love that is steadfast and enduring, one that goes beyond physical attraction and depends on a strong mental connection between two people. According to Shaban (2022) Shakespeare states that “Love is not true love which changes whenever an issue comes up or ends when the beloved disappears”; This portrays true love as a commitment that transcends time and is never swayed by external circumstances. He emphasizes the unchanging nature of true love, which remains constant even during the most turbulent of times (Shaban, 2022). The poet suggests that true love is a self-sufficient entity that does not depend on external conditions for its existence, and that it is an eternal force that remains long after the physical bodies of the lovers have turned to dust. Overall, Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 describes a pure and unconditional love that is beyond the physical realm and is a testament to the enduring nature of love (Shaban, 2022). Thus, in Sonnet 116, Shakespeare describes a love that is steadfast and enduring, one that goes beyond physical attraction and depends on a strong mental connection between two people.
Shakespeare’s description of love in Sonnet 116 is unique in its poetic language and imagery. According to Lamb (2020), one of the unique features of Shakespeare’s language in Sonnet 116 is the way he uses metaphors and similes to describe love. For example, in page 64, he compares love to a “fixed mark” that is not shaken by the “tempests” of life; This image emphasizes the constancy of love and suggests that true love is unchanging even in the face of life’s storms (Lamb, 2020). In another metaphor, Shakespeare says that love is like a star that guides sailors through the night; This image suggests that love is a guiding force that helps people navigate the uncertain waters of life. Lamb (2020) also stated that another unique feature of Shakespeare’s language in Sonnet 116 is his use of negation to describe true love. He says in page 27 that love is not “time’s fool,” meaning it is not subject to the whims of time. He also says that love is not “an ever-fixed mark / That looks on tempests and is never shaken,” meaning that it cannot be easily swayed or broken. By emphasizing what love is not, Shakespeare draws attention to its enduring qualities and suggests that it is a force that transcends time and space. In addition to his use of metaphors, negation, and simplicity, Shakespeare’s language in Sonnet 116 is also characterized by its musicality and rhythm (Lamb, 2020). The poem has a distinctive iambic pentameter, which gives it a musical quality that is both beautiful and memorable. The poem’s rhythm also emphasizes the idea of constancy and endurance central to the poem’s message (Lamb, 2020). Thus, poetic language and imagery are unique in Shakespeare’s description of love in Sonnet 116 and one of the unique features of Shakespeare’s language in Sonnet 116 is the way he uses metaphors and similes to describe love.
Another unique feature of Shakespeare’s language in Sonnet 116 is how he uses negation to describe true love. Negotiation means the contradiction or denial of something. According to Ginting (2021), Shakespeare says that love is not “the marriage of true minds,” meaning it is not simply a legal or contractual arrangement. This negation emphasizes that true love is deeper and more profound than a mere agreement between two people. Later in the poem, Shakespeare says that love is not “time’s fool,” meaning that it is not subject to the whims of time; This negation suggests that true love is something that endures despite the passage of time and the changes that come with it Ginting (2021). Love is not something that fades or withers away but remains constant and unchanging. Shakespeare also uses negation to emphasize the strength and steadfastness of true love. He says in page 33 that love is not “an ever-fixed mark / That looks on tempests and is never shaken”; This image suggests that love is a rock-solid foundation that can withstand even the most violent storms of life (Ginting, 2021). Love is not easily swayed or broken but something that remains steadfast even in the face of adversity. Another example of Shakespeare’s use of negation in Sonnet 116 is his description of love as not “bending with the remover to remove”; This negation emphasizes the idea that true love is not something that can be easily moved or changed (Ginting, 2021). Love is not something that can be broken or undone by external forces but remains true and constant. Thus, the way he uses negation to describe true love is another unique feature of Shakespeare’s language in Sonnet 116.
Shakespeare’s language in Sonnet 116 is characterized by its simplicity and directness. Simplicity and directness mean the quality of being straightforward and concise. According to Shaban (2020), Shakespeare says true love is “the marriage of true minds.” This statement is simple and direct, yet it captures the essence of true love. Shakespeare’s use of the word “marriage” suggests a deep and profound connection between two people, while “true” emphasizes the importance of honesty and sincerity in the relationship. Shaban (2020) also stated that another example of Shakespeare’s simplicity and directness in Sonnet 116 is his use of the phrase “Love is not love”; This simple and seemingly paradoxical phrase captures the essence of the poem’s message, which is that true love is something that transcends time and space (Shakespeare, 2020). Shakespeare uses this phrase to emphasize the enduring qualities of love, suggesting that love is not something that can be easily defined or confined to a particular time or place. Shakespeare continues to use simple and direct language throughout the poem to convey complex ideas about true love. For example, he says that love “bears it out even to the edge of doom,” suggesting that love endures even in the face of death and also says that love is “an ever-fixed mark / That looks on tempests and is never shaken,” emphasizing the steadfastness and constancy of true love (Shaban, 2020). Thus, simplicity and directness are other unique Shakespeare’s language in Sonnet 116.
In conclusion, William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 is a powerful meditation on the nature of true love. Shakespeare’s use of negation in Sonnet 116 is a unique feature of his poetic language. By emphasizing what love is not, Shakespeare draws attention to the enduring qualities of true love and suggests that it is a force that transcends time and space. Love is not a mere agreement between two people, nor is it subject to the whims of time. Love is a rock-solid foundation that can withstand the storms of life and remain steadfast in the face of adversity. Shakespeare’s use of simplicity and directness in Sonnet 116 is a unique feature of his language. By using straightforward language to convey complex ideas about true love, Shakespeare makes the poem accessible and relatable to a wide audience. These qualities make Sonnet 116 a powerful meditation on the nature of true love that continues to resonate with readers today.
Abdumurotovich, K. M. (2023). Lingo-Poetic Analysis of the Translations of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116. Central Asian Journal of Literature, Philosophy, and Culture, 4(1), 9-15. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/M82GR
Ginting, D. A. (2021). Love in the William Shakespeare’s. The Seall Journal, 2(1), 19-23.
Lamb, M. E. (2019). “Love is not love”: Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116, Pembroke, and the Inns of Court. Shakespeare Quarterly, 70(2), 101-128. https://doi.org/10.1093/sq/quz017
Shaban, I. F. (2020). Shakespearean sonnets. ResearchGate. Retrieved.