Learning Goal: I’m working on a creative writing writing question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn.For this week’s discussion, read the following and write a ~300 word responseUse the questions below as guides. Feel free to add your own thoughts and questions as well.Then, respond to two group members (~75 words)William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 130″Joyelle McSweeney, “Toxic Sonnets” excerpt from Toxicon and Arachne (please focus on this one!)General Instructions:1. Write your response Write your response to the texts and podcast using the questions below as guides.
You do not need to answer all the questions, and you are welcome to respond using your own questions and observations.
It’s okay if you are totally confused by a text or feel like you don’t “get it”–use the guiding questions and ask questions of your own about the things that confuse you!Share what your experience of the text was, even if you’re not sure if others experienced it that way.
Remember that you don’t have to identify as/with something to write about its values and ideas, make connections, and consider elements of form.
Choose a brief part of the text that intrigues you and write about that specific section or scene.
2. Respond to 2 other student posts Once you have posted your response, read over the responses of those in your group and respond to two other student posts.
Your response should be at least 75 words
Background info and guiding questions:I’ve included Shakespeare as a classic example of a sonnet that some of you may have seen before. Don’t worry about analyzing it too much, but do pay attention to its form–I’ve included it to help us build towards McSweeney’s sonnets.First, read “Sonnet 130,” in which Shakespeare uses some less-than-ideal images and comparisons to describe his lover.Take a few minutes to explore the following. You don’t need to write these down as part of your response, but do this to get familiar with the classic sonnet form. How many lines does it have?
How does Shakespeare use rhyme in this poem? (Think about which lines rhyme with each other)
How many syllables, or sound counts, are there per line?
What kind of imagery is used?
Now, read Joyelle McSweeney’s “Toxic Sonnets” section from her book Toxicon and Arachne, as well as the brief essay excerpts I’ve included as an intro to the reading.The essay excerpts are meant to give you some background understanding on why Joyelle McSweeney dedicated these sonnets to John Keats, one of the most famous English poets of the Romantic period (here’s a sonnet that he wrote (Links to an external site.)). They should also give you some insight into what McSweeney is doing in her dense, overloaded, overwhelming sonnets, and what is going on behind the scenes of her writing.What are your first impressions?How do these sonnets, published in 2020, feel different from the Shakespeare one written in the 16th century?
What kinds of images are being used? What kind of diction? What are some examples that stand out to you?
Rather than trying to figure out what McSweeney’s sonnets are “about,” what kind of mood do you feel as you read them?What associations do you make while reading?
What feelings and sensations emerge from the imagery and diction for you?
How do you understand the “necropastoral”? Be sure to read the supplementary text before the sonnets. How does it show up in her sonnets? Give an example of an image that you see as necropastoral.
What kind of imagery is used?