Question

PLS HELP I WILL GIVE 100 POINTS

Read the Petrarchan sonnet "Sonnets are full of love, and this my tome" by Christina Rossetti. In a well-written paragraph of 5–7 sentences, explain how the structure of the poem affects its meaning. Be sure to discuss the meter, rhyme scheme, shift, and couplet.

Sonnets are full of love, and this my tome
Has many sonnets: so here now shall be
One sonnet more, a love sonnet, from me
To her whose heart is my heart's quiet home,
To my first Love, my Mother, on whose knee
I learnt love-lore that is not troublesome;
Whose service is my special dignity,
And she my loadstar while I go and come.
And so because you love me, and because
I love you, Mother, I have woven a wreath
Of rhymes wherewith to crown your honored name:
In you not fourscore years can dim the flame
Of love, whose blessed glow transcends the laws
Of time and change and mortal life and death.

Answer 1

The Petrarchan sonnet uses a traditional structure of 14 lines with an octave and a sestet, separated by a volta. The poem's meter is iambic pentameter, providing a rhythmic flow that emphasizes its message. The rhyme scheme in the octave is ABBA ABBA, while the sestet has a more fluid rhyme scheme of CDCDCD or CDEEDE. The shift in tone at the volta emphasizes the speaker's love for their mother, and the final couplet brings the poem to a satisfying conclusion, expressing the idea that love can transcend time, change, and mortality. The structure of the poem contributes significantly to its meaning.

Step-by-step explanation: