FitzsSonnetWritingRubric

Inwritingsonnets,theemphasisisplacedonexactnessandperfectionofexpression.

Itisacrueltaskmasterwhoaskshisorherstudentsto"do"whatheorshehasnotdone
themselvesandsoitiswiththewritingofstrictsonnetsbutitisataskIwillalsoundertake,ifonlyto knowthedifficultiesIamforcinguponyou.Afteryearsofcoachingfootballandwrestling,itisalltoo obvioustomethatwoosypracticesmakeforwoosyathletes.Bythesamelogic,toughpracticesmake forbetter(thoughnotnecessarilyhappier)athletes.Writingagoodsonnetisgoingtobeatough practiceforme,too.Ihavewritten"unrhymedsonnets"(Seebelow)thatfollowthethematicand metricstructureofsonnets,butIhaveonlywrittenafewclassicalShakesperianorItaliansonnet.The oneIincludehereIwroteforMrs.Wardsretirementcelebration. Sooo,whatisasonnet?Asonnet,thewayIamfirstteachingyou[ShakesperianSonnetasopposed totheItalianSonnetwhichcamefirst)],isafourteenlinepoemthatiswrittenin"rhymed,iambic pentameter,"meaningithasthreerhyming"quatrains"[fourlinesofpoetry]followedbyasinglerhyming "couplet."[twolinesofpoetry,usuallywiththesamerhyme].(SeehowIamabletogetinallofmyfun poetryvocabulary!) Othermoremodernpoetsusedifferentrhymeschemestowritetheirpoems.Whatiscoolabout sonnetsisthatitforcesapoettobeincrediblyprecisewiththeirlanguage,anditcreatesabriefand melodicformofpoetrythatispleasingtotheear,enjoyabletoread,andwhichdealswithsomegreat philosophicaltruththatallpeoplecan(orshouldbe)abletorelatetoonadeepemotionaland intellectuallevel. Here,apictureisworthathousandwords:We'lluseShakespeare'sSonnetXXIX

SonnetXXIX WhenindisgracewithFortuneandmen'seyes,(A) Iallalonebeweepmyoutcaststate,(B) Andtroubledeafheavenwithmybootlesscries,(A) Andlookuponmyselfandcursemyfate,(B) Wishingmeliketoonemorerichinhope,(C) Featuredlikehim,likehimwithfriendspossessed,(D) Desiringthisman'sartandthatman'sscope,(C) WithwhatImostenjoycontentedleast,(D)

Yetinthesethoughtsmyselfalmostdespising,(E) HaplyIthinkonthee,andthenmystate,(F) (Liketothelarkatbreakofdayarising(E) Fromsullenearth)singshymnsatheaven'sgate,(F) Forthysweetloverememberedsuchwealthbrings,(G) ThatthenIscorntochangemystatewithkings.(G) ~Shakespeare Noticetherhymescheme: abab cdcd efef gg Thefirstthreerhymepatternsareinquatrains(fourlines).Thelasttwo(GG)areacouplet(Twolines). Noticethemeterofthepoem:Eachlineofpoetryiswritteniniambicpentameter:Fivebabooms perline(orfivestressed/unstressed"feet"inrealpoetryterminology)equalingtensyllablesperline. Fromapracticalpointofview,trytodothefollowingwhenwritingyourpoem. FirstQuatrain:SettheSceneandStatethe Theme: RhymeScheme:ABAB Usethefirstquatraintosetthesceneandtone andtopointyourreaderinthegeneraldirection yourpoemisgoingtogo.(Similartothebroad themeandnarrowthemeintheparagraph.) SecondQuatrain:ShowtheThemeinAction C) D) RhymeScheme:CDCD C) D) Usethesecondandthirdquatrainstodevelop yourthemebyusingreallifeexamplesand descriptionsoradeepreflection. ThirdQuatrain:AddaCoolTwist: E) A)fivebabooms(tensyllablesineachline) B) A) B)

RhymeScheme:EFEF Usethethirdquatraintoaddacooltwistorto poseaconundrumaseeminglyunsolvable problemordilemmaoraparadox,whichisa statementthatapparentlycontradictsitselfand yetmightbetrue... FinalCouplet:CraftaMemorableCouplet Usethislastcouplettocreateaprofoundand memorablestatementthattriestocapturethe spirit,theme,andintentofthepoem.

F) E) F)

G) G)

Addyourcompletedsonnetintheboxbelow:TitleitSonnet#??

ThisismySonnetthatIwroteforMrs.Ward. Sonnet#3 Thepartingisthehardestpartoffate Theslowuntanglingknotstillleftunwound Wepauseasifthehouristoolate Todivvyfairthetreasurewehavefound. Ourwordslikefingerspointingatthemoon Whoselightrevealstheshadowsthatyouteach Andthisgoodbyethatseemstocometoosoon Thepulsingtidereturnsyoutoourreach. Witheachsoulyoushapedthemorphableclay Andlaytoresttheficklethornsoftime Yougaveusallanordinaryday Belowsomeharshsummitwecouldnotclimb Iveneverasked,butIvewonderedhowandwhy Yousomehowmanagedtoteachfrogstofly.

Hereismyunrhymedsonnetwritteninfourteenlinesofblankverse,usingfivebaboomsforeach line.

TheBottomLine
Sonnet#1
Aroundmycabintheyaredroppingtrees thetallwhitepinesthatsentinelthesewoods, thatcrackandthudbeforebeingdragged tothelanding,andthenbuckedandloaded ontoatopheavypileofharshtruck. Everysooftenthemachineswillstop andI'llheartheloggersgamandcuss: "Ah,forChrissakes,thesehaveallgotheartrot." Pissed,probably,theywentandbidsohigh forwhatthemillownerswilljustlaughat. Theslashispiledhighandthegroundscarfed. Idipmypenandturnbacktomywork. Piecingtogetherthebestofourwood noneofuswillmakeakillingtoday.