The importance of form and structure

Read poetry for enjoyment To learn how the form and structure of a

poem affect its meaning To develop group discussion skills

middle agedcouple playing ten- niswhen thegame endsand they go homethe netwill stillbe be-tween them

Discussion prompts: (2 mins)

What is interesting about the way the poem appears on the page?

Poems often tell a story. What story do you imagine is being told here?

Why does the poem have an unusual layout?

‘40 Love’

Discussion prompts: (1 min)

What is the significance of the net motif in the poem?

Sonnet 130

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sunCoral is far more red than her lips redIf snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks;And in some perfumes is there more delightThan in the breath that from my mistress reeks.I love to hear her speak, yet well I knowThat music hath a far more pleasing sound.I grant I never saw a goddess go:My mistress when she walks treads on the ground.

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rareAs any she belied with false compare.

(2 mins)

In pairs, colour the words of the poem which rhyme. Use different colours for each pair of rhyming words.

What pattern do you notice about how the poem rhymes?

Feedback.

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sunCoral is far more red than her lips redIf snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks;And in some perfumes is there more delightThan in the breath that from my mistress reeks.I love to hear her speak, yet well I knowThat music hath a far more pleasing sound.I grant I never saw a goddess go:My mistress when she walks treads on the ground.

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rareAs any she belied with false compare.

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun

Coral is far more red than her lips red

If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.  

What is the poet comparing the woman to in the first 8 lines of the poem? How does she compare? Is she better or worse? Discuss in groups.(2 mins)

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sunCoral is far more red than her lips redIf snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks;And in some perfumes is there more delightThan in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

I love to hear her speak, yet well I knowThat music hath a far more pleasing sound.I grant I never saw a goddess go:My mistress when she walks treads on the ground.

What’s he saying here? Is her voice better than music? When she walks, does she float along like a goddess was supposed to do? What does his “mistress” do instead?So, what does the poet seem to be saying about his beloved so far in this sonnet?

Discuss one interesting feature of the structure of the final 2 lines of the poem.

(2 mins)

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

As any she belied with false compare.

So, does the message of the poem change at the end? How does it change? What could be the final impression left with the reader about the speaker and his beloved?

(2 mins)

Highlight, in a colour, the images which relate to human features in the poem.

Where are these features most commonly used in the poem – beginning/middle/end? Discuss with your partner.