Analysis of Sonnet 75 by Edmund Spenser

I remember the old days when I used to spend all day at the beach, accompanied only by a shovel and a stick, building up my dreams on the sand. There, I built a world of my own, where I became both a princess and a knight, saving myself from a fierce dragon that came upon my imaginary thoughts. Yet all of that magnificent world that I created never waited for me. When I turned my back for even a second, my dream castles disappeared with the approaching wave. While reading the first four lines of this sonnet, I could sympathize with the poet’s earnest and ceaseless efforts to leave his trace on the sand. I had always had that fear of loss whenever the tide approached my sand castles. Yet, as I read through the rest of the poem, as the poet asserted, to himself and to his beloved, that their love would be eternal, that it would be written in verse and remain forever, I felt relieved that my memories can also be kept for a long time. Although it was not any “love” that I have had back then on the beach, I felt that the time I had spent having adventures in my imagination were worthwhile. This sonnet assured me that despite the tide which had swept my castles away, my presence and my memories could be build up somewhere else, perhaps in heaven, in any form, so that they could be traced over and over again to be kept eternally.

Based on these feelings toward this sonnet, this analysis of Sonnet 75 will start by summarizing the overall meaning of the poem, and later go on to explain several details regarding the use of language and its meaning. This sonnet consists of three quatrains and a couplet. This form, which will be discussed later on, plays a major role in forming the smooth image and the story the sonnet tells.

The first quatrain describes the poet writing his lover’s name on the sand. Yet, the very next moment, the waves swallow them up and the letters vanish away. In the verse “Again I wrote it with a second hand”(4), we can see how the poet strives once more to leave his writing upon the beach, only to see it quickly disappear. The expression “second hand,” along with its contextual meaning “second time,” can be also translated within its original meaning, “not new,” thus implying that these efforts to write his beloved one’s name had been repeated for some time. Either way, we can understand the poet’s endless, but futile effort to immortalize something that is mortal. The expression “tide”(4) is another word that can be interpreted in two ways. First, it can be seen as another word for “wave,” and, second, it can be interpreted as “time”, as in the expression “spring-tide”, meaning spring season. Thus, the poet is implying that the thing destroying his writing on the beach is actually “time” which passes by wiping out all things in the present. Lastly, in the verse “made my pains his prey”(4), the poet personifies the wave, portraying it as his enemy. The wave then not only signifies the wave itself, but is also representative of nature, which also destroys things along with the passage of time.

The second quatrain of this poem is the part where the woman, the beloved one, speaks. She claims that the man’s efforts to immortalize her name along with their love are futile. Everything changes as time passes by, and the woman views their situation realistically, submitting to their fate. The woman knows that she will also decay just as her name is washed out of the sand.

Nevertheless, the poet never gives up his hope to eternalize her name and their love, by claiming in the third quatrain a way to immortalize them. He believes that although all other “baser things devise to die in dust”(9) her unique and priceless virtues can be sustained by writing them in verse. In the line “My verse your virtues rare shall eternize”(11), another two-sided interpretation is possible. It could mean “I’ll write a verse about your glorious virtues so that memory of them will be everlasting,” or it could mean “My verse and your virtues will both be everlasting,” giving this verse more impact and showing confidence as a poet that his verse will last forever. In both ways, however, the point is that, regardless of death, their love will live on.

The last couplet shows a contrast between their immortal love and other things that will die with the passage of time. The capitalized world “Death” shows how it will brutally destroy all other things except for their love, which will be renewed by the presence of the sonnet. This couplet embraces the theme of the poem, that their love will not fade away like other mortal things on earth.

Along with these analyses of the overall meaning of the poem, next, let’s consider the form and the rhythmic base of Sonnet 75. This is a Spenserian sonnet which takes the rhyme scheme of abab-bcbc-cdcd-ee, with each line in iambic pentameter. The rhyme that Spenser creates at the end of each line unifies the poem into quatrains and couplets. These chunks build up into meaningful units as the sonnet develops from an ordinary description of a beach and an ordinary act of writing in the sand, into a genuine, heartfelt proclamation of love. Furthermore, the rhyme in the last line of each quatrain is passed on to the next line, giving a smooth flow and adding to the sonnet’s calm tone.

If we look at the repetition of unstressed and stressed words in the iamb, we can see the words the poet tried to emphasize. The stressed words like “wrote”, “name”, and “verse” are the most important words of this poem. Spenser also used variations in rhythm and metre in parts of Sonnet 75 to make the poem more interesting. In the verse “vain man, said she”(5), the word “vain” is stressed and “man” is unstressed, which takes the form of a trochee, thereby standing out from the unstressed-stressed patterns found elsewhere. This stops the reader’s attention, and gives the feeling that something new is being introduced.

The last thing to stress regarding the use of language in Sonnet 75 is the repetition of the verbs and letters. First, repeated use of words such as “wrote”(1, 3) and “came”(2, 4) is seen. Repetition of these verbs portrays how the wave repeats its action of erasing the words written in the sand, and how hard it is to eternalize a mortal thing. These futile attempts described in the first part of the sonnet magnify the love between the couple, as, by writing the verses down, they finally apprehend the way to keep their love eternal. Second, the same letter is intentionally reused in phrases such as “waves and washed”(2), “pains his prey”(4), “die in dust”(10), “verse your virtues”(11), and “love shall live”(14) creating a smooth flow of lines, harmonizing with the background of the poem. Furthermore, each of the sounds they make seem to relate to the meaning. The phrase, “die in dust”(10), for example, has a repetition of “d” sound, and when read out loud, creates an image of something vanishing and falling.

Overall, Sonnet 75 is a poem about a man promising eternal love to his beloved one. He eschews his lover’s realistic worries about the loss of love due to death with enchanting words. His elaborate and detailed use of language creates a rhythm and deepens the meaning as it goes along with the tone of the verses. Thus, as the poet had anticipated, as long as people read and recite this poem, it will last eternally as a beautiful sonnet.

Analysis of She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron

In Lord Byron’s poem, She Walks in Beauty, the poet praises a woman’s beauty. Yet, the poet not only focuses on the external appearance of the woman but extends his glorification onto the internal aspect of her, making the woman more divine and praiseworthy. In this analysis, we will first discuss the meaning of the poem, and later consider some of the poetic mechanisms and the form that the poet used to make his poem richer.

The first stanza of the poem describes the physical appearance of the woman. Byron starts the poem with the phrase “She walks in beauty, like the night/ Of cloudless climes and starry skies;.”(1-2) Here, the poet creates an image of a dark, clear sky with twinkling stars, and make a contrast between brightness and darkness. This contrast could mean diverse things, such as “black hair” and “white skin”, or “deep, black eyes” and “clear, white parts of the eyes.” The image created by this contrast represents the cloth the woman is wearing; a black dress with sparkles on it. In the next line, “And all that’s best of dark and bright/ Meet in her aspect and her eyes:,”(3-4) we see how the opposite characteristics of darkness and brightness mentioned in previous lines reappear to mingle and create a wonderful harmony. In the last two lines of this stanza, we see another contrast in imagery. The darkness and brightness from lines above have “mellowed”(5) to become a “tender light,”(5) and this gets contrasted with the expression “gaudy day,”(6) which inheres a negative connotation of excessiveness. Thus, the woman that the poet is praising is in great balance. Opposites “meet” in the woman to create a calm, soft image.

The second stanza of She Walks in Beauty continues to praise the woman’s appearance, but starting from line 11, the poet extends this external beauty onto the woman’s personality. In the phrase “Had half impaired the nameless grace,”(8) the poet tells us that the woman’s face is in such a perfect portion that just a slight change would damage it. From the expression “half impaired,” we could once again draw out two significant meanings. First, it could mean that although the balance is destroyed, the beauty will still be half marvelous because it is only “half impaired.” Or, if we focus on the notion of “imperfection” when something is in half, the poet might be emphasizing the current, “greatly balanced” status of the woman’s appearance which should not be destroyed. The expression “nameless grace”(8) is also significant. By adding the word “nameless” in front of the word “grace,” the poet enlarged the woman’s beauty and greatness, thereby suggesting it as something so priceless that can’t be defined nor expressed as a name. We could also understand that the woman has a black hair from the expression “Which waves in every raven tress,.”(9) Compared with conventional qualities of “beauty” during the time when Byron wrote this poem, “black hair” which this woman has is extraordinary. This distinctiveness amplifies the woman’s beauty, as she distinguishes herself from others. Lastly, in the last two lines, “Where thoughts serenely sweet express/ How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.,”(11-12) we start to see how the woman’s inner beauty is reflected in her appearance. “Dwelling-place,”(12) which is where the mind and the spirit belong, is also sweet and pure. With this perfect inner quality added to her external beauty, the woman becomes more perfect as she possesses beauty inside out.

The last stanza also talks both about the woman’s inner and outer characteristics. Her cheek and her smiles are beautiful. In the phrases “days in goodness spent,”(16) “mind at peace,”(17) and “heat whose love is innocent,”(18) we understand that the woman’s inner thoughts are also as pure and graceful just as her appearance. As in previous stanzas, he once again shows the theme of this poem, which is the woman’s physical beauty along with her internal beauty.

Now, let’s go on to analyzing the form of She Walks in Beauty. This poem takes the form of ABABAB-CDCDCD-EFEFEF, each line composed of an iambic tetrameter. Different with forms of sonnets which usually have an “explosion” at the ending part of the poem, She Walks in Beauty carries on the “ABABAB” pattern all throughout the poem, making the poem organized as the harmonious woman. Added to this, the great use of simple rhymes creates a soft atmosphere, seemingly portraying the nature of the woman. Also, the repetition of the “unstressed-stressed” words gives us a soft, stepping rhythm. Just as the poet had described in the first two lines how pleasantly the woman walks in her dress, it gives a walking-like rhythm and a flow to the overall poem. It is interesting to see how this regular rhythm of “unstressed-stressed” pattern changes in line 4and the word “Meet”(4) gets stressed, emphasizing how the contrasting values of darkness and brightness “meet” in the woman and creates a harmony.

Next, let’s look at the five major poetic mechanisms Byron used in this poem. First, the poet uses personification such as “smiles that win”(15) and “heart whose love is innocent,”(18) to vividly describe the woman’s soft smiles and pure heart. Second, there is a use of synesthesia in the expression “tender light.”(5) Mixture of a visual sense and a tactile sense amplifies the image of softness that the woman possesses. Third, use of similes and metaphors in parts “like the night,”(1) “nameless grace / which waves in every raven trees,”(8-9) the poet compares “grace”(8), the quality of the woman, to an observable phenomenon “raven trees”(9) and makes the portray more clear. Fourth, Byron also uses metonymies like “smiles”(15) to represent “the woman,” and “heaven”(6) to represent “god.” Lastly, to give the poem a smooth flow, the poet uses alliteration in parts such as “cloudless climes,”(2) “starry skies,”(2) “day denies,”(6) and “serenely sweet.”(11) These intended usages of words contribute also in deepening the meaning of the words. We could associate the sound of “starry skies,”(2) represented by the sound ‘s,’ with the woman’s skirt dragging on the ground, and the sound of ‘d’ in “day denies,”(6) with the feeling of denial and rejection.

To summarize, the overall tone of She Walks in Beauty is soft and calm, quite different with the image we have about poet, Lord Byron. Perhaps this extreme contrast between the lovely poem and the author who have lived a dissipated lifestyle makes the poem touches us stronger. We could vividly feel how strong Byron’s admiration of the woman was. Use of soft and simple languages rather than heavy, intellectual words is also significant, as it demonstrates the pure, easily noticeable beauty of the woman. The woman portrayed in this poem must have been truly beautiful to catch Byron’s attention at once, and make him write such a vivid poem.

 

I took this photo in London, when we went on a Vision Trip last march. I remeber it was right before heading for lunch in Cambridege University on our 2nd day. It’s a picture of a lake, and the overall impression is peaceful and quiet. Looking at this picture reminds me of the beautiful memories we had in Europe. I was astonished by the marvelous sceneries and diverse cultural traces there, because in Korea it was hard to see the remnants of our past in the streets due to excessive development. The Vision Trip to Europe, as shown in this picture, was tranquil and peaceful all the way through because we could get out of the stress of school works and tests. Coinciding with the name, it really gave us “Vision”. It presented us of the bigger world where tons of people with different backgrounds and thoughts live. Thus, I chose this picture of a moment in the Vision Trip as my favorite one.

Should universities take SAT and ACT scores into consideration for college admissions?

                   On the most recent KSAT-a test held in Korea similar with SAT and ACT- my friend got 3 out of 50. He was an excellent student who always got over 40, but the problem that day was the smell of the lunch the student next to him brought to the test. The odor of the swellfish soup, which my friend was allergic to, coming from the side made him sick. His exam was totally wretched. This incident was just one of the unfortunate events that accidently happened on the big day of KSAT. Students nearly throw themselves into this test, because it is only held once a year and plays a huge role in determining one’s success in college admission. Since I live in Korea and am planning to take KSAT the following year, I would prefer to base my essay on KSAT than SAT and ACT. I believe the arguments and the logic will be similar between the two, because the basic characteristics of SAT and KSAT are the same; they both are taken by all high school students to submit when applying for college. For most colleges, KSAT score is a requisite when applying, and it has a dominate control when determining the quality of applicants. KSAT scores were thought to be an objective standard of appraisal since they are in exact numbers which could be easily compared between students. Yet, colleges and students have recently noticed some drawbacks of deliberating KSAT scores in college entry. In general, KSAT fails to properly judge students, hence deterring colleges selecting fit ones, and for the students it act as an obstacle to progress, blocking the boundless opportunity to learn thoroughly.

One of the problems with taking KSAT into consideration in college admission is that it harms universities in appropriately selecting students. KSAT does not represent students’ aptitude nor their ability fully. KSAT is held only once a year, and there is no exception in the strict rule it sets. Disturbance such as noise from outside the examination room, or a mental shock inflicted by seeing another test taker jumping off the window in the middle of the test-which is a frequent incident in Korea-are all side matters that are not taken into account when grading the score. Even a smart student who had a high score on mock examinations might ruin his/her test because his/her seats weren’t good enough, or he/she might get sick suddenly on the day of KSAT.(Herald) Who would have expected to smell food that he/she is allergic to suddenly on the day of the test? The news report about a student giving up his/her life after the KSAT, because it didn’t turn out as expected, is one of the disastrous happenings after KSAT.(Naver) According to the research done by The Public Educational Institution, about 200 students commit a suicide around KSAT testing season, being pessimistic about their future after failing the test.(Yoon) KSAT is a single test that could be affected with multifarious matters which are not in the student’s hands. We couldn’t take all things that could happen into consideration and be prepared for them. Thus, placing a great deal of weight on this test when enrolling students is not a good idea because it is not a sufficient measure of students’ capacity. Rather, it is a measure of student’s condition and luck on that day.

                  Putting KSAT as a requirement for college application is not only damaging to universities, but also to the students. It takes away the opportunity for the students to be far-sighted. These days it is a common scene where students go to private academies to memorize the pattern of the test. Since the test is composed of multiple choice questions that are in the same type from the past, not much thought is required for students to solve them. Plus, the time limit usually makes students recklessly memorize the materials rather than struggle to understand and learn them. This results in students becoming no different than a robot; they get crammed with the knowledge that just need to come out mechanically during a test and is useless afterwards. However, if universities don’t set KSAT as a requirement for admission, students would find other ways to show their aptitude to the admission officers. Perhaps they could be more actively engaged in extra-curricular activities such as public service, to show their participations in the local society as a responsible student, or they could participate in an internship that match their talents. During this process of founding something that could represent oneself and a carefully considering what oneself could become, he/she grows both in their capability and potential. A presentable student who could show outstanding performance in colleges and could contribute to the society is not someone who gets high grades, but someone who strive to accomplish their aim. A student who was only prepared for the standardized test is may be apt for the test, but absolutely not for success and development, which are what colleges really need.

                  To sum up, considering KSAT scores is not the best option for colleges when choosing the right student for their school. What the college needs, and furthermore what the country need as a whole for its development and outstanding performance in the global society, is not how well a student memorizes a book, nor how good a student’s condition is on a test day. The applicable way a college could think over about their admission process is by concentrating on the student’s portfolio to see the overall quality of the students. A student who could make progress is someone who knows what they are doing for their life, someone who has a proper goal for their future, and someone who builds up the path by showing passion on what they like. KSAT certainly doesn’t measure these kinds of traits, but ends up in turning their superficial knolwedge into scores. Indeed, universities should not take KSAT into account for the admission system.

Works Cited

Herald Media Home Page. November 10 2010. Herald Media, December 11 2010. < http://biz.heraldm.com/common/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20101110000069>.

Naver Home page. December 11 2009. Naver News. December 11 2010. <http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=102&oid=001&aid=0003020395>.

Yoon, Sungho, 자아존중감이 청소년 자살생각에 미치는 영향. Seoul:장로회신학 University, 2010.

In class essay-Yeonpyeong crisis

an original essay employing “Tagmemics” 

Yesterday, North Korea fired about 100 artillery shells into Yeonpyeong island, killing two South Korean marines and wounding more than 19 people. Residents in Yeonpyeong are terrored in fear, seeing the buildings and most of the island burning down in fire. Certainly, there has been a conflict between South Korea and North Korea since 1950, but it is the first time after the 6.25 war that the conflict has been so tense. To understand this crisis more thoroughly, we should consider the arguments of both sides.

First of all, from the North Korean perspective, North Korea’s attack on Yeonpyeong island is reasonable. It is true that North Korea had warned South Korea to stop their war games and military trainings near the border, but the South had neglected it. Also, considering the current situation where nations in the world, especially the United States have been disregarding and ignoring North Korea’s opinion, the North would have thought the only way they could make the world listen and respect their assertion was using the military power.

Yet, seeing this matter in a different side as a South Korean, this kind of harsh military response is not helpful neither to North or South Korea. Military trainings in Yeonpyeong island has been held regularly with prior notice, and it seems like North Korea is being overly abruptive and cruel. North Korea shouldn’t put their brutal force into action.

Overall, this crisis between North and South Korea should be handled immediately with communication and respect. Both sides should consider each other’s opinion with understanding, and it is a certain fact that this conflict shouldn’t grow worse into a intense situation such as war. The governments of both countries should negotiate well with each other to do more to contribute to the peace in the Korean Penninsula.

Korea’s future along with the flow of illegal immigrants

9 years ago when I was 10, I used to go to my mom’s book store after school everyday. It was an english bookstore, and  many foreigners used to come. I was a little kid, so out of curiosity, I tried to approach them regardless of my poor english. With the easiest word such as “Hi” and with tons of body languages, I could be friends with them, and there, I met Shan who became an unforgettable friend in my life.

He was an immigrant worker who came from Pakistan. He worked in a factory, but unfortunately, the employer who he worked under was a greedy man who refused to give the employees reasonable payments. My mom used to visit the factory to discuss payment problems on behalf of Shan who couldn’t speak Korean well, but it didn’t turned out so great. Shan and his friends had to live in a basement without enough space to sleep and eat. Nevertheless, he didn’t lose his smile. It still gives me laugh when I think about the conversations we had.

About a year later, Shan married a Canadian women named Maria and they had a baby named Rakib. He was a sweet boy with a charming smile like his father’s. Yet, Rakib could never live normally because he was born under a illegal immigrant worker in Korea. Shan and Maria couldn’t report the birth of Rakib because they themselves were not legal Korean. Thinking of Rakib came both with smile and pain, because I knew he wouldn’t be able to attend normal public school nor live in good conditions throughout his life.

Fortunately, with the help of a church Maria was going to, Shan’s family could move to Canada and they are currently living a pleasant life there. Luckly, their lives turned out to be great. Yet, in Korea, there are tons of other immigrant workers’ families who are living in similar, poor situations in Korea.

 The rapid growth in the Korean economy since the 1980’s engendered increasing immigrations from foreign countries. 30 years have passed and the burgeoning population of foreigners in Korea these days has exceeded 10 million. Simultaneously, the number of unregistered foreigners (also known as illegal immigrants) has increased as well. Of course, such illegitimate residence is to be criticized. However, the innocent children of those criminals are stigmatized as illegal immigrants, irrelevant to their own will. Furthermore, most of these children are deprived of opportunities to receive education, like Rakib. 

The Korean government shouldn’t neglect their presence in Korea anymore. We should understand that unregistered children under illegal immgrants are not currently in Korea on their will. It wasn’t their choice to become an unregistered children, thus they are  innocent and should be provided with at least the basic privilage and welfare while they are in Korea. Along with the rising number of illegal immigrants in Korea, I believe having tolerance towards those people is urgent for a better society.

The Way It is

By William Stafford

There’s a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain abou the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread.

▶ Thread easily gets tangled. It is likely to be cut in a single move of a scissor. This is exactly what our lives are like. Tangled and mingled, seeing such complicated path sometimes make us abandon ourselves to despair. Whenever I am depressed or stressed out, I read over this poem. The last line of the poem request us, never to give up in holding that thread. Although we face hardships all through our lives, there is always an end if we don’t lose hope and keep walking. If we have a signal, if we have a meaningful goals in our lives that we eagerly endeavor for, we surely will eventually reach our destiny. So let us try with our best effort to hold on to our thread of life with courage and passion.

Wiki-leaks and China’s position

Information from the ‘Wiki-leaks’ have brought up several arguments about the validity of the source and whether it is proper. A recent issue brought up in CNN discuss the secret talks between China and South Korea. According to the information mentioned, China had described North Korea as a spoiled child and condemned their acts about their military actions including their nuclear weapons.

Focusing only on the leaked information and approving the validity of the news, China seems to be turning their backs on North Korea, as they get too much burden in the World wide society as a key nation to communicate and deal with North Korea. Seeing this issue in a South Korean view, China’s flow of action is plausible. North Korea have been acting cruel and hasty, as we can see from the recent incident of Yeonpyeong Island. Apart from the matter of communism and the alli between China and North Korea that had existed, China should consider their future regarding the eyes from the world and their responsibility as one of the most powerful country in the East.

Insight on International Burn a Koran Day

 

photo from Yonhap News

The incident of  “International Burn a Koran Day” has become a worldwide issue. Serious condemnation has mounted, and it Afghanistan, two people had died in a demonstration regrading this matter. Yet, we should understand before criticizing any religion as a whole, that every religion has people who stands on the extreme side. We shouldn’t let ourselves cognize without critical thinking that Terry Jones, the pastor, is the representative of Christianity, nor we should see al Qaeda as the whole picture of Islam. Of course, the act of burning Korans, a holy book of Islam, is a disrepectful and offensive act that shouldn’t be spread out. Although it consisted of serious messages and had a purpose, desecration of a religion that stands basted on certain people should be respected at least with a manner. Yet, considering the power of media and noticing its characteristic of  “exaggeration” and “one-sided” traits, we should recognize this issue in a broader perspective, thereby not just blaming Christianity as a whole.

emptiness

These days, without any reason I feel a sense of emptiness. I am easily stressed out, and although I try hard to be positive, it’s not so easy. I guess all of the school works and tasks that I have to accomplish is becoming a huge burden for me, yet I know I should get over it by trying my best. Seeing the autumn leaves falling down and cold wind blowing add on to this. I chose this picture because it depicts my feeling, showing an empty space that needs to be filled with energy.