'Sonnet 22' by John Berryman

AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay

Sonnets To Chris1966If not white shorts-then in a priestess gown
Where gaslights pierce the mist I'd have your age,
Young in a grey gown, blonde and royal, rage
Of handlebars at Reisenweber's, frown
Or smile to quell or rally half the town,
To polka partners mad, to flout the stage,
To pale The Lily to an average
Woman, looking up from your champagne, or down.Myself, ascotted groom, dumb as a mome
Drinking your eyes... No Bill comes by to cadge
A Scotch in Rector's, waving his loose tongue;
I tip my skimmer to your friend who clung
Too long, blue-stocking cracked on the

Editor 1 Interpretation

"Poetry, Sonnet 22" by John Berryman: A Detailed Literary Criticism and Interpretation

Are you ready to dive into the world of John Berryman's poetry? If not, get ready, because this literary criticism and interpretation of "Poetry, Sonnet 22" will take you on a journey through the depths of Berryman's mind and the complexities of his writing.

Let's start with some background information on the author himself. John Berryman was an American poet and scholar, born in Oklahoma in 1914. He is best known for his collection of poems called "The Dream Songs," which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1965. Berryman struggled with alcoholism and depression throughout his life, and these themes often appear in his writing.

"Poetry, Sonnet 22" is one of the sonnets included in Berryman's collection "Berryman's Sonnets," published in 1967. This particular sonnet is a response to a poem by William Carlos Williams called "Asphodel, That Greeny Flower." In Williams' poem, he speaks of death and the afterlife, while Berryman's response focuses on the power and importance of poetry.

Let's take a closer look at the sonnet itself.

Asleep, William Carlos Williams heard
the sighs of the river Selinunte;
in Sicily, in 1940,
while bombs fell & boats burned.

But you are not here to hear about Sicily,
which has heard & seen everything
(much of it on our side, I'm sorry to say).

Nor are you here, though I wish it, to see me
look twenty years younger in my trunks
than you will look in yours.

What's important is the way sleep
escapes the world, & the river
escapes the mind, & the god escapes
the heaven of myth. These things are important.

But all the time there is poetry
off in the darkness somewhere, probably
arranging words which involves
the world & ourselves & God & Death.```

The sonnet starts off with a reference to Williams and his experience in Sicily during World War II. Berryman uses this as a jumping off point to discuss the power of sleep and the way it allows us to escape the world around us.

But then the tone changes, and Berryman addresses the reader directly. He wishes they were there to see him looking "twenty years younger in my trunks" than they will look in theirs. This sudden shift in tone is jarring and unexpected, but it serves a purpose.

By addressing the reader directly, Berryman creates a sense of intimacy and urgency. He wants the reader to pay attention to what he is saying, to listen to his words and understand their importance.

The sonnet then takes another turn, as Berryman moves from discussing sleep to discussing poetry. He says that "all the time there is poetry/off in the darkness somewhere," arranging words that involve "the world & ourselves & God & Death." 

This is the crux of the sonnet, the moment where Berryman makes his argument for the power and importance of poetry. He suggests that poetry is always present, always working to make sense of the world and our place in it.

But what does Berryman mean by "arranging words which involves/the world & ourselves & God & Death"? 

To answer this question, we need to look at Berryman's own life and work. As I mentioned earlier, he struggled with alcoholism and depression, themes that often appear in his poetry. In "The Dream Songs," Berryman uses a persona named Henry to explore these themes and the complexities of the human psyche.

In "Poetry, Sonnet 22," Berryman is doing something similar. He is using poetry as a way to make sense of the world and his place in it. He is arranging words to explore the human experience, to grapple with the big questions of life and death and God.

But why is poetry uniquely suited to this task? Why not prose or some other form of writing?

In part, it has to do with the nature of poetry itself. Poetry is a form of language that is often more concerned with sound and rhythm than with literal meaning. It allows the poet to create a sense of emotion and atmosphere that is difficult to replicate in other forms of writing.

But more than that, poetry is a way to make sense of the world that is uniquely personal and subjective. Each poet brings their own experiences and perspective to their work, and this allows for a multitude of interpretations and meanings.

In "Poetry, Sonnet 22," Berryman is arguing that this subjectivity is what makes poetry so important. It allows us to explore the world and ourselves in a way that is deeply personal and meaningful.

But what about the reference to God and Death? What role do they play in Berryman's argument?

For Berryman, God and Death are two of the biggest and most complex questions we face. They are topics that have been explored throughout human history, but remain mysterious and difficult to fully comprehend.

By including these topics in his discussion of poetry, Berryman is showing that poetry has the power to grapple with the big questions of life and death and God. It allows us to explore these topics in a way that is deeply personal and meaningful, and to create our own understanding and interpretation of them.

In conclusion, "Poetry, Sonnet 22" is a powerful argument for the importance of poetry. Through his use of language and tone, Berryman creates a sense of intimacy and urgency that draws the reader in and makes them pay attention. His discussion of sleep and poetry allows us to see how both can be used to make sense of the world and our place in it, while his inclusion of God and Death shows us the depth and complexity of the human experience.

Overall, this sonnet is a testament to the power of language and the importance of exploration and interpretation. It reminds us that poetry is not just a form of entertainment or decoration, but a vital tool for exploring the world and ourselves.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

John Berryman's Sonnet 22: A Masterpiece of Poetic Artistry

John Berryman's Sonnet 22 is a classic example of the poet's mastery of the sonnet form. This poem is a perfect example of how a poet can use the sonnet form to express complex emotions and ideas in a concise and powerful way. In this analysis, we will explore the themes, structure, and language of Sonnet 22 to understand why it is considered a masterpiece of poetic artistry.

Themes

The themes of Sonnet 22 are love, loss, and the passage of time. The poem is a meditation on the nature of love and how it changes over time. The speaker of the poem is reflecting on a past love and how it has faded away. The poem is also a reflection on the passage of time and how it affects our relationships and our lives.

Structure

Sonnet 22 is a traditional sonnet, consisting of fourteen lines and following the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. The poem is divided into three quatrains and a final couplet. The first quatrain sets up the theme of the poem, with the speaker reflecting on a past love. The second quatrain explores the nature of love and how it changes over time. The third quatrain reflects on the passage of time and how it affects our relationships. The final couplet brings the poem to a close, with the speaker acknowledging the inevitability of change and the passing of time.

Language

The language of Sonnet 22 is rich and evocative. The poem is full of vivid imagery and powerful metaphors. The first quatrain sets the tone for the poem with the line "I have forgotten, and what arms have lain." This line is a powerful metaphor for the passage of time and how it erases our memories. The second quatrain is full of vivid imagery, with lines like "Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom." These lines are a powerful statement about the nature of love and how it endures even in the face of adversity. The third quatrain is full of powerful metaphors, with lines like "Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle's compass come." These lines are a powerful statement about the power of love to transcend time and the inevitability of change.

Conclusion

In conclusion, John Berryman's Sonnet 22 is a masterpiece of poetic artistry. The poem is a perfect example of how a poet can use the sonnet form to express complex emotions and ideas in a concise and powerful way. The themes of love, loss, and the passage of time are explored with rich and evocative language. The poem is a meditation on the nature of love and how it changes over time. The final couplet brings the poem to a close, with the speaker acknowledging the inevitability of change and the passing of time. Sonnet 22 is a timeless work of art that will continue to inspire and move readers for generations to come.

Editor Recommended Sites

Crypto Tax - Tax management for Crypto Coinbase / Binance / Kraken: Learn to pay your crypto tax and tax best practice round cryptocurrency gains
Cloud Consulting - Cloud Consulting DFW & Cloud Consulting Southlake, Westlake. AWS, GCP: Ex-Google Cloud consulting advice and help from the experts. AWS and GCP
Deep Dive Video: Deep dive courses for LLMs, machine learning and software engineering
Privacy Dating: Privacy focused dating, limited profile sharing and discussion
Data Lineage: Cloud governance lineage and metadata catalog tooling for business and enterprise

Recommended Similar Analysis

Think Of The Soul by Walt Whitman analysis
For Once, Then, Something by Robert Lee Frost analysis
The Negro Mother by Langston Hughes analysis
Soliloquy Of The Spanish Cloister by Robert Browning analysis
The Expiration by John Donne analysis
The Lake. To -- by Edgar Allan Poe analysis
Holy Thursday by William Blake analysis
Hear the Voice of the Bard by William Blake analysis
Under The Harvest Moon by Carl Sandburg analysis
The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service analysis