Poetry Analysis Blog #2

"Sonnet 146: Poor Soul, the Center of My Sinful Earth"
William Shakespeare

At first the title makes me think that Shakespeare is feeling powerful conviction over all of his sins. In the sonnet, he is appaled at all of the sins he's let contaminate his soul. He is amazed at the beauty that sins portrays, and the negative consequences that they bring. He knows that as long as his flesh is alive, his soul can not be holy. So, he asks his body to die so his soul can live in holiness. Line one is a metaphor, referring to his soul as the center of his sinful earth. The metaphor continues portray sins negative beauty. He is talking to his soul the whole time, which makes it a villanelle. In the end, Death is personified. The last line is irony, "And Death once dead, there is no more dying then." Shakepeare is repenting throughout the sonnet, begging to be free from the bonds of sin. He wants the readers to see their sins and repent because of his experiences. The shift occurs in line 9, when he asks for his body to die so his soul can reign. The title is just the first line in the sonnet, so Shakespeare had no real meaning in mind when naming it. However, the first line made me predict the message of the poem somewhat correctly. The theme is that flesh is prone to sin, and we can only be truly holy when free from our earthly bodies.

Response
I can tell Shakespeare is under deep conviction at this time in his life, and he wants nothing more than to be set right with God. This sonnet is like a heart-felt prayer. I wouldn't doubt Shakespere said these words to God Himself.

"Days"
Billy Collins

The title makes me think the poem is about the poet's daily walk through life. The poet describes days as a gift, but throughout the poem he makes the readers evaluate how they approach their days. He says that we all carefully stack one day on top of the other, hoping that they won't all collapse and cause disaster in our lives. In lines 13 - 16, simile is being used to compare passing days to an impossible tower of dishes. Line 17 until the end of a poem is a continuous metaphor saying humans are all on a giant ladder, carefully stacking their days as to not cause everything to fall. Collins wants the reader to see how they are living their lives and not taking them for granted by giving us this giant metaphor. The readers are left to think if they are actually that person on the giant ladder and left to question how they want to change their attitudes. The shift occurs in line 16, when Collins starts referring to the reader as the person perched on the tall ladder. "Days" is actually meant to symbolize the Collins' perspective on how humans live. The theme is we should be more appreciative of our days because they all contribute to our lives as a whole.

Response
I had to read this poem a few times until finally, it clicked with me. I love Collins' connotative language because he describes human nature in such a unique way. He wants people to do more with their lives and not just stack one routine on to the next. He put life into a light that I had never seen. His style is genius!