Narrator's Love For The Person example essay topic

A well-written poem normally will utilize some or all of six elements of literature to express an idea thoroughly. A few elements include plot, setting, and diction, each of which provides for an effective piece of literature. William Shakespeare wrote several sonnets that carefully use the elements of literature. His famous work, "That Time of Year", includes examples of setting, tone, and imagery to strengthen the reader's understanding of the sonnet. Shakespeare's use of setting is very effective in that the whole sonnet indirectly refers to one of the seasons of the year. The narrator of the poem begins by describing the characteristics of autumn.

He describes the yellow leaves that may or may no longer hang on trees, and he talks about the weather being cold. He also mentions the absence of the birds that once sang on the trees. He goes on to refer to the sunset and how the night gets closer and closer. Although he does not speak directly about the season itself, the reader understands the implicit characteristics and is able to visualize the atmosphere described by the narrator as being the fall season. This also suggests the origin of the title.

Perhaps "that time of year" refers to autumn itself. In addition to setting, Shakespeare integrates the use of tone into this sonnet. Phrases like "That time of year thou mayst in me behold,"Which by and by black night doth take away", and "As the deathbed whereon it must expire" all suggest that the narrator is melancholy about the fact that he is aging and may soon die (lines 1, 7, 11). He is explaining all of this to his lover it seems. The evidence that he appears to be in love with the person he is talking to can support this. This evidence includes phrases such as these: "In me thou see " st the twilight of such day,"In me thou see " st the glowing of such fire,"This thou perceives t, which makes thy love more strong", and "To love well which thou must leave ere long" (5, 9, 13, 14).

All of these examples indicate the narrator's love for the person. It is this love that possibly inspires the narrator to speak. One can conclude that the narrator feels pride or relief for the fact that someone loves him regardless of his age or his inevitable death. This is supported with line 13, where the narrator explains that, above all, he is seen as the same person that his lover fell in love with years ago, and this is what makes his lover's love for him a strong love. With the context provided, another conclusion can be made about this sonnet: it is definitely a love poem. Finally, imagery is used throughout this sonnet to enhance the reader's understanding of the narrator's sentiment.

The title itself is an example of imagery. "That time of year" refers to a season of the year: autumn. However, the title implies that his death is near. This analogy between autumn and old age is used from the beginning of the sonnet to the near end. In line one, the narrator uses the word "mayst" to imply that his lover has the opportunity to see him the way he explains, but instead, his beloved sees him differently. This is supported in lines five, nine, and thirteen where he declares that his beloved does in fact see him as the man that is still full of life.

The narrator speaks of yellow leaves no longer hanging in line two further depicting an autumn atmosphere. In actuality, a reader can imagine a person growing old, as the narrator's probable intention is to compare the climate and weather of a season to a person aging. The narrator mentions how his lover witnesses the "twilight of such day", hinting that his lover still sees the youth in him although the "sunset fadeth in the west" (5-6). He also refers to the black night that takes away the day, which insinuates that death is near (7). This is further supported in the next line when he speaks of "Death's second self" (8).

This phrase is used to compare death to sleep-at the end of the day, one must sleep. The narrator goes on to speak of the "glowing of such fire" and how the "ashes of his youth doth lie" on this fire. He is now comparing aging to a fire, and when the "deathbed whereon [, ] it must expire, Consumed with that which it was nourished by" (11-12). The concluding couplet in this poem enforces the lover's perception of the narrator. In line 14, the lover is faced with the fact that she soon will no longer be able to love him.

It is easy to see why many people may disagree with these presented thoughts or ideas. As a reader or scholar, one must make his or her own conclusions about the work or works that he or she reads. This case is no different. Any well-written piece of literature should leave something for the imagination so as to get the reader more involved, and since no one is alike, different perceptions are bound to arise. If this does not happen, then it is possible that there is a flaw in the writing. Shakespeare's Sonnet 73 is a piece written to invoke the emotions of a reader, but it also exists as keepsake for the author's own feelings.

This sense of privacy is what forces the various readers to create their own hypotheses of what is being written or why it is being written. As far as an answer to these questions, well, no one answer is correct and no answer is incorrect. A reader must incorporate several inferences before making a conclusion as to what the sonnet means. In conclusion, Shakespeare's skill has brought several elements of literature together in this sonnet to create an excellent, work of art.

To accomplish this task, he strategically integrates several examples of setting, tone, and imagery. He definitely makes it easy for a reader to place himself into the narrator's shoes and feel every bit of remorse and happiness that the narrator feels. Hopefully, every man will have a love to see him as the youth he once was when that time of year comes around.