Connotation
Metaphor: "What a big book for such a little head!" -Millay was a women's rights activist and she is saying that girls can read, but her lover is telling her that the book is above her.
Imagery: "Come, I will show you now my newest hat,/ And you may watch me purse my mouth and prink!"- The reader is able to visualize her pouting her face at the hat because she does not enjoy material possessions.
Alliteration: "I shall be sweet and crafty, soft and sly;"- repetition of the "S" sound illustrates her sneakiness. She will still act like the woman society approves of, but she will sneak around to read freely.
Metaphor: "And some day when you knock and push the door,/ Some sane day, not too bright and not too stormy,"- implies that he is rowdy, maybe even a drunkard and that on a day when they aren't fighting, they're more indifferent towards each other.
Diction: "I shall be gone, and you may whistle for me."- Whistle is used to convey that her lover is calling for her, but she will not come back because of his disrespect towards her. Also shows her lover's patriarchal force over her.
Imagery: "Come, I will show you now my newest hat,/ And you may watch me purse my mouth and prink!"- The reader is able to visualize her pouting her face at the hat because she does not enjoy material possessions.
Alliteration: "I shall be sweet and crafty, soft and sly;"- repetition of the "S" sound illustrates her sneakiness. She will still act like the woman society approves of, but she will sneak around to read freely.
Metaphor: "And some day when you knock and push the door,/ Some sane day, not too bright and not too stormy,"- implies that he is rowdy, maybe even a drunkard and that on a day when they aren't fighting, they're more indifferent towards each other.
Diction: "I shall be gone, and you may whistle for me."- Whistle is used to convey that her lover is calling for her, but she will not come back because of his disrespect towards her. Also shows her lover's patriarchal force over her.
AttitudeMillay’s attitude is 100% sassy and mocking. She starts off with “oh, oh you will be sorry for that word,” telling him that he will apologize to her for doing whatever he did. Throughout this sonnet, she is planning what she will do to make him miss her when she’s gone. She uses a lot of alliteration when she is planning; “I shall be sweet and crafty, fost and sly.”
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ShiftThe shift places emphasis on the woman taking control by leaving. She is showing her lover or husband that she will not let him belittle her. Millay is trying to make a statement about women’s rights. Women can be as smart as men and should be free to read and not let their husbands control them.
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Theme
Structure & Form: Shakespearean style
The contrasting elements of the two poems conveys the meaning of the poem. The first sonnet has an innocent, traditional view that women in society have on love such as being concerned with material gifts. Their hearts can be won with jewelry. However, in the second sonnet, the speaker’s sassy tone is used to make a statement. She has a modern thought on love, such that her heart cannot be won over with new hats and gifts. Instead, she wants respect and freedom from her husband/ lover. The structure of this sonnet mimics the first; however, stronger end punctuation, such as exclamation points, makes a more dramatic statement about women’s rights. The shift is reaction and change of thought.
- 3 quatrains that have alternating rhyme scheme and a couplet at the end.
- ABABCDCDEFEFGG
- Iambic Pentameter
The contrasting elements of the two poems conveys the meaning of the poem. The first sonnet has an innocent, traditional view that women in society have on love such as being concerned with material gifts. Their hearts can be won with jewelry. However, in the second sonnet, the speaker’s sassy tone is used to make a statement. She has a modern thought on love, such that her heart cannot be won over with new hats and gifts. Instead, she wants respect and freedom from her husband/ lover. The structure of this sonnet mimics the first; however, stronger end punctuation, such as exclamation points, makes a more dramatic statement about women’s rights. The shift is reaction and change of thought.