7.RL.5: Analyze form and structure

Read the following poem by William Shakespeare and answer the question that follows.

Sonnet 130

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;

If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

If hairs be wires, black wires grown on her head.

I have seen roses damasked, red and white,

But no such roses see I in her cheeks;

And in some perfumes is there more delight

Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

That music hath a far more pleasing sound;

I grant I never saw a goddess go;

My mistress when she walks treads on the ground.

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

As any she belied with false compare.

1. How does the form of this poem contribute to its meaning?

  1. The final couplet takes a turn and changes the meaning of the poem.
  2. The perfect rhyme scheme highlights the speaker’s many praises of his beloved.
  3. The sonnet form emphasizes the traditional nature of the speaker’s love.
  4. The inconsistent meter creates tension in the poem.

Read the following poem by Robert Frost and answer the questions that follow.

“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sounds the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

1. What is the effect of the rhythm in the poem?

  1. It creates a sense of simplicity that reflects the superficial themes in the poem.
  2. It creates a sense of sluggishness that reflects the laziness of the speaker in the poem.
  3. It creates a sense of beauty that reflects the snowy woods in the poem.
  4. It creates a sense of suspense that reflects the growing conflict in the poem.

2. What is the effect of repetition in the last stanza?

  1. It creates the haunting effect of an echo.
  2. It makes the speaker seem unreliable.
  3. It creates a sense of comfort and resolution.
  4. It makes the message of the poem seem forceful.

Read the following poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and answer the questions that follow.

Sonnet 43

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday’s

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints—I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life! –and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

1. What is the effect of the iambic pentameter in this poem?

  1. It simulates the act of listing things, which mirrors what the speaker does in the poem.
  2. It creates a sense of imbalance, which complicates the speaker’s message.
  3. It makes the poem similar to a lullaby, which has a soothing effect on readers.
  4. It establishes a lighthearted tone, which reflects the concepts discussed in the poem.

2. How does the last couplet differ from the rest of the poem?

  1. It focuses on death instead of life.
  2. It introduces a sense of doubt.
  3. It references themes that are unrelated to love.
  4. It contradicts the speaker’s declaration of love.