Speaker or Narrator, and Point of View
The poem “Sonnet VIII” is told from the perspective of a first person subjective point of view.
Form and Meter
“Sonnet VII” has no form and meter since it is written in free verse.
Metaphors and Similes
In “Sonnet VIII”, the narrator compares grief with a thief who just appears unexpectedly and then causes harm. This comparison is used by the narrator to transmit the idea that even though death and pain are inevitable, no one expects to suffer.
Alliteration and Assonance
We find an alliteration in “Sonnet VII” in the lines “love is not in vain,/ I am in pain all over once again.”
Irony
One of the major ironies which can be found in all the analyzed sonnets is the way in which the narrator addresses love. In the sonnets, the narrator describes love as being something which causes her pain and suffering. Despite this, the narrator continues to seek out love even though she knows she will most likely just get hurt again.
Genre
“Sonnet XIV” is a meditative poem on the pain caused by love.
Setting
Because “Sonnet XXIII” is a meditative poem, there is no setting mentioned.
Tone
The tone used by the narrator in “Sonnet VIII” is a provocateur one.
Protagonist and Antagonist
In “Sonnet XIV” the protagonist is the narrator and the antagonists are the men who hurt the narrator through their unrequired love.
Major Conflict
The major conflict in “Sonnet VIII” is between pain and the way it can make a person feel incapable of living and the desire to move and pretend as if nothing is wrong.
Climax
“Sonnet XIV” reaches its climax when the narrator calls for Death to take her.
Foreshadowing
N/A
Understatement
We find an understatement in the beginning of the poem “While Yet These Tears” when the narrator claimed that love gave birth in her the desire to die. This is however proven to be an understatement as the narrator later admits that love is the only reason why she continues to want to live.
Allusions
One of the main allusions we find in the poems and sonnets analyzed is the idea that love causes more pain when compared with the happiness it brings. Even though this makes love something which many should avoid, this is not the case in the poems.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The term “blacken” is used in “Sonnet XIV” as a general term to make reference to death and how at times it can be more merciful when compared with living.
Personification
We have a personification in the poem “While Yet These Tears” in the line “these tears have power to flow”.
Hyperbole
We have a hyperbole in “Sonnet XXIII” in the line “Your martyrdom is as harsh as mine.”
Onomatopoeia
In “Sonnet XIV” we have an onomatopoeia in the lines “while my voice (…)/ chocked with sobbing and sighs.”
