Adrienne Rich's Poetry and Prose Lesson Plan

Many of the poems in "Twenty-One Love Poems" are sonnets, or are almost sonnets. Why do you think Rich chose to use this form? What does it add to her content?

Sonnets are one of the oldest and most well-known forms of English poetry, and writing a sonnet always calls back to the tradition of early Modern English--the writing of Shakespeare especially. Rich probably saw some irony in using this very traditional (and male-centric) form to write about her lesbian relationship. Furthermore, sonnets are often associated with high-register language as well--Rich's colloquial and sometimes crude tone in the context of a sonnet is even more jarring, and somewhat empowering. She is...