Research Paper on Wordsworth Sonnets

Introduction

Poetry just like other forms of artistic works takes various categories. A sonnet is a poem with lyrics that is constructed to have fourteen lines and a single stanza. The line follows one another in different rhyme schemes. A sonnet takes two forms; one is the Italian form popularly known as the Petrarchan and the second one is the English form commonly known as the Shakespearean. The writing of sonnets started in the late 13th Century and is still used today. Wordsworth has been a renowned writer who during his poetry life has written more than 500 sonnets. William Shakespeare was also a well-known sonnets writer having written more than 150 sonnets during his active poetry life. Literature scholars considered sonnets as a fundamental form of utterance in the literature profession. Wordsworth was so passionate about sonnets. Scholars have been conducting analysis to understand why he was compelled to the use of simple and natural poetry. He composed his sonnets poets in an artificial, stylish and conventional manner and selected a language that was spoken by men. Wordsworth fought to have sonnets recognized as an honored type of literature lyric.

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Why Wordsworth Returned to the Use of Sonnet

Scholars have been divided over the question whether the quality and the nature of the sonnets were up to literature standard. Some think that the sonnets demonstrated a poetic accomplishment of distinctions that could not be disputed in the literature world. They acted as a way of boosting and bringing into attention that Wordsworth imaginative power had not declined. A scholar by the name Curran has argued that some of the sonnets were just but fourteen assertions that supported capital punishment especially in his sonnet "Punishment of Death." It is claimed that Wordsworth was just creating a vicious impression even after navigating around his career for years. It was seen as he had deviated from the well-structured internal debates that were refining the old forms of his culture as demonstrated in his early two volumes of 1807.

However other than the nature of his poems, the quality of Wordsworth sonnets must be considered to understand why he returned to that style of literature. Readers have been making conscious efforts to deflect the attention from the imaginative quality and focusing on repudiating his sonnets. However his sonnets especially the early pieces had a personal epic, and the romantic lyric was so great which expressed a sound personality. His objective to return to sonnets in the late years of the 1810th decade was greatly encouraged by the desire to create a complexity of the interrelating values and characters that were not usually associated with poetry work. He was interested in focusing more on the reality of life and hence the need to address such issues poetically. Wordsworth was determined to use sonnets as a concrete form of visual poetry. He focused on a poetic form which would serve as a vehicle for extermination other than the common means of expressing ideas, opinions, and imaginations. He needed to drift away from the usual articulation of self and personality as a professional poet. He wanted a palpable visual expression in terms of the matters of the external world as disparate to the inner and veiled self.

The later sonnets done by Wordsworth are seen to be a form of a visual folio. I sense there is a double measure in terms of returning to the visible poetry especially after the British Romans revised his sonnets. They saw Wordsworth as a visionary poet who sought after transcending the human nature with an endeavor to accomplish an intellect of something that is intensely interfused. He was not after gaining any other fame or popularity than which he had received from his famous and captivating poems. He does not highly esteem his works of sonnets most since he meant them to connect poetry and the external matters regarding the world and humanity. His sonnets express a remembrance process and focused on the poetry of epiphany.

Many poets criticized the writing of sonnets especially because they demanded a lot of time to create. At times it was challenging to keep on adding precise layers to make the fourteen-line poem. Readers and scholars argued that sonnets were more of expectations than reality and thus did not reflect the true self and personality and thus just yap on rules on a technicality. However, poets like Wordsworth and Shakespeare found it interesting due to the continuous progression of ideas and use of Volta in building an argument. Due to such critics, Wordsworth responded by another sonnet titled "Scorn, not the Sonnet." In this sonnet, Wordsworth imagines of the critic as a face that can frown. He imagines of the sonnet as key to the writing career of Shakespeare, a poet who also did so many sonnets. Again he imagines the sonnet to be like medicine that brought healing to wound of the Petrarchan which is a type of a sonnet. Imagery is seen where William make the sonnet to be like a pipe that played Tasso sounds. The progression of ideas is considered to give sonnets much power. For instance, the sonnet is said to comfort an exile that is writhing in anguish and pain. He also deemed a sonnet as the power behind the crowning of a poet like Dante. He also connects sonnets to a source of freedom as a means through which poets have overcome the dark ways and valleys probably in their poetry career. The sonnet has been imagined as a trumpet that had the power to eliminate the worries of the soul when blown. Wordsworth sees sonnets as a source of freedom for poets in the literature world. His main aim in this sonnet was to express it as a distinguished and credible part of poetry, and thus people should stop criticizing it since it has nurtured most renowned poets.

In his other sonnet bearing the title, "Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent's Narrow Room," Wordsworth continues to show his prowess in poetry work. He imagines the convents as having narrow rooms, but still, the nuns are never upset but rather enjoy living there. He further says that prisoners are also comfortable living in cells and students enjoy spending their time doing studies which might not be the case. Imagery is also seen when he relates to occupations as a prison where people are doomed. Wordsworth also imagines that the fox has bells which expressing dissatisfaction of the occupational prison. He connects power to the Furness Peak as the highest peak of fells. The bees are also seen to have the power to soar to such high peaks to bloom in their process of making honey. Wordsworth is trying to affirm sonnets as a source of freedom. He says that he is no longer in prison as the creation of sonnets has given him some ground to celebrate. He expresses himself as having enjoyed a lot of liberty since in his poetry career and especially of doing sonnets he has found solace. Throughout this sonnet, William is still emphasizing of the great benefits of considering sonnets as an honored piece of poetry work. He continues to assert it like any other occupation which should be enjoyed without limitation.

Conclusion

The sonnet as a poetry work has been a long tradition that has stood the test of time, and thus every single sonnet is considered to be part of this celebrated tradition. The requirements of a sonnet may be both liberating and demanding depending on the poet and thus can never be overlooked. Due to its versatility, many poets have made the sonnet a favorite piece of poetry. There are endless themes and subjects within whom the sonnet can be articulated thus having the ability to address distinguished objectives. Other than that it is a perfect form of elaborating a single thought due to the iambic parameter of fourteen lines. Poets like Shakespeare and Wordsworth have used the sonnet as a room for exploring passionate emotions. The poet must work within precise parameters since rhyme and rhythm are defined ascetically. Every word must be circumspectly weighed unlike in free verse poems. It, therefore, acts as a good way of sharpening the discipline of poets which creates satisfying pieces of poetry. Being short enough to read and write, it is always interesting to both the reader and the poet. However, its length never serves justice to poetic subjects that are long and complex.