Ayşenur Buyuk

200425097
Asst. Prof. Leyla Savsar
British Literature I

Final Take-Home Essay Questions

Answer the following questions based on our class discussions. READ THE
QUESTİONS CAREFULLY!

1. The sonnet was first introduced to England in the 16th century after it was
popularized in Italy in the 14th century by Thomas Wyatt. What was the typical
form of the sonnet? Briefly mention what the different types of sonnets were
(hint: there are 4 types). Write about the features of the sonnet in 1-2
paragraphs. (25 pts)

A sonnet is a poem written in iambic pentameter and following a certain rhyme

scheme. They have fourteen lines of iambic pentameter linked by an intricate rhyme
scheme. Iambic pentameter refers to its rhythm; basically, each line of the poem has ten
syllables, and every other syllable is stressed. The 4 most common variations are known
as Italian sonnets, Shakespearean sonnets, Spencerian and Miltonian sonnets.
The Italian sonnet, perfected by the Italian poet Petrarch, divides the fourteen lines
into two sections: an eight-line stanza (octave) rhyming ABBAABBA, and a six-line
stanza (sestet) rhyming CDCDCD or CDECDE.
Shakespeare's sonnets are also composed of fourteen lines, and most are divided into
three quatrains and a final, concluding couplet, rhyming ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. This
sonnet form and rhyme scheme is known as the 'English' sonnet.
The Spenserian sonnet is a sonnet form named for the poet Edmund Spenser. A
Spenserian sonnet comprises three interlocked quatrains and a final couplet, with the
rhyme scheme ABAB BCBC CDCD EE.
The Miltonic Sonnet is no exception. Named after the English poet John Milton,
Miltonic sonnets use the same rhyme scheme ABBAABBA CDECDE and structure (an
octave and a sestet) of the Italian sonnet. Miltonic sonnets deal with different themes
than the other types of sonnets, though. Instead of tackling questions of romantic love
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200425097

or nature, Miltonic sonnets often deal with politics and moral issues thematically, and
they use something called enjambment to tighten the sonnet's structure.

2. Analyze the following sonnet in terms of its unique imagery and metaphors.
What is it mainly talking about. How was Shakespeare’s language both simple
and unique in its portrayal? Explain in 1-2 paragraphs. (25 pts)

Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

The speaker of the sonnet compares ‘Thee’ to a summer day. ‘Thee’ means ‘you’ in
Shakesperean English. He says that the woman in the poem is more lovely and more pleasant
than a summer’s day. He then talks about why summer is not very good: summer ends too
quickly, the sun can get too hot and is sometimes hidden by the clouds.

He also says that all beautiful things slowly go away (fade) by nature’s plan. He also says that
her beauty will not go away, and she will never walk (wander) into the shadow of death. Also,
the woman that he is writing about will never die, because she will live forever in his poetry.
The speaker says that the person he is writing about will live if people can breathe and see
because people will be able to read about her in his words.

As well as inventing completely new words, Shakespeare used existing words in inventive
ways. So, this made the Shakespearean language unique.
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200425097

3. What is a kenning? Provide some examples with definitions from Beowulf. (25
pts)

Kennings are frequently utilized in Beowulf as metaphors to help the reader's

imagination come to life.

e.g.:

battle-sweat = blood
raven-harvest = corpses
swan-road, whale-road = sea
sleep of the sword = death
bent-necked wood, ringed prow, foamy-necked, sea-wood, sea-farer = boat
twilight-spoiler = dragon
leavings of the file = sword
peace-bringer among nations, peace-weaver = queen
Grendel the monster has several kennings too to describe him: hell’s captive, sin-stained
demon, god-cursed brute

4. Beowulf, an epic poem, is the greatest surviving Anglo-Saxon literary work,

and may have been the only Anglo-Saxon epic. It is based on ballads and folktales
known to the Anglo-Saxons before their invasion of England, and therefore deals
mainly with pagan myths and legends. Describe the history of Anglo-Saxon
literature development (its key features) in 1-2 paragraphs. (25 pts)

Anglo-Saxons had a difficult way of life. They used to be pagans who revered nature
and paganism. They were warriors who lived life with vigor and excitement while
hunting, sailing, and enjoying life. There was a special blending of brutality and passion,
of action and feeling. They had a deep passion for freedom, the family, the home, and
acts of physical bravery. This mix is what gives their literature its voice. The following
five characteristics, which characterize Anglo-Saxon literature, can be summed up:
Love for one's own independence, sensitivity to the natural world, religion, respect for
women, and the pursuit of glory.
Ayşenur Buyuk
200425097
The main literary subgenres that flourished throughout the Anglo-Saxon Age were
prose, elegies, heroic poetry, and religious poetry. Beowulf, Deor's Lament, The
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Dream of the Rood, Fates of the Apostles, and other significant
literary works are included. Only roughly thirty thousand lines from four manuscripts
remain from most of the Anglo-Saxon literature, which has long since been destroyed.

References:

• M. H. Abrams - The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. 1, 4th

Edition