Name Date
My City / If We Must Die
Literary Analysis
Sonnet
A sonnet is a 14-line poem that follows specific rhyme and rhythm patterns. This chart compares two classic sonnet forms:
Italian (Petrarchan) Sonnet / English (Shakespearean) SonnetStructure:Two parts. An octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines) / Structure:Four parts. Three quatrains (4 lines each) followed by one couplet (2 lines)
Rhyme scheme:abbaabba for the octave. Cdccde or cdccdc for the sestet. / Rhyme scheme:abab cdcd efef gg.
Both types of sonnets are often written in iambic pentameter. In this meter, each line includes ten syllables. The second, fourth, sixth, eighth, and tenth syllables are stressed.
Directions:Complete the chart to examine how Johnson and McKay applied the rules for sonnets when writing their poems. Use the questions to help you analyze each element.
“My City” / “If We Must Die”Structure
Does the poem follow Petrarchan or Shakespearean form? Explain.
Rhyme Scheme
Use letters (such as abab) to identify the rhyme scheme.
Meter
Does the poem use iambic pentameter?
Final couplet
Reading Skill
Understand form and Meaning
Understanding a sonnet’s structure can help you interpret its meaning. Keep in mind the following:
• In many sonnets, quatrains, octaves, and other line groupings are not set apart by stanza breaks. However, you can use the rhyme scheme to find the line groupings.
• Each line grouping usually expresses one main idea.
• The structure of a sonnet shows you how the speaker’s ideas are organized. The first line grouping of a sonnet describes the speaker’s situation or problem. The last line grouping resolves, concludes, or reacts to that situation.
Directions:For each poem, identify whether each line grouping is an octave, a sestet, a quatrain, or a couplet. Then record the main idea each grouping expresses.
“My City”
Line Grouping / Main Idea“If We Must Die”
Line Grouping / Main Idea