You are reading this too fast by Ken Norris and Sonnet CXXX by William Shakespeare

721 Words3 Pages
Every poet has his or her own style of writing which makes each poem individual and unique. Although they might share similar themes, the way a poem is delivered to the reader can vary indefinitely. If we take two completely opposite poems such as the ones entitled You are reading this too fast by Ken Norris and Sonnet CXXX by William Shakespeare we can find some similarities in their cores. What unites these two poems is their ability to evoke emotions of love in different yet parallel ways. Other similarities lie in the poetic features such as language, similes, and rhyme scheme. Poetic features like language usually depend on the era when it was written. In Norris’ poem, the language is very common and doesn’t need any deciphering. This simple language is used to put forth the idea through its simplicity. For example: “What is happening? Slow down, slow down, take a few deep breaths …”, there are no complicated or hard to read words in it but he still manages to show the emotions that should be involved in reading a poem. Shakespeare, on the other hand, is easily distinguished from other poets because he didn’t write in modern English, instead he wrote in old English. “I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks”. Although the language used in both poems may differ from one another both successfully express their intentions with the poem. Similes used in poetry is a very important feature that helps attract the reader’s attention by using simple comparisons to bring forth an idea. In the first poem, the author compares to very different things but the gesture that lies behind them is very similar. “Touch the poem gently with your eyes just as you would a lover's flesh”. Although the same poetic feature is present in Shakespeare’s sonnet, the way it is used is rather different. Coral is far more red, than her lips red: f

More about You are reading this too fast by Ken Norris and Sonnet CXXX by William Shakespeare

Open Document