A Poem Written in Stone

I went back and forth on what to discuss on my free response, and I decided to do a little analysis of "A Sonnet Is a Moment's Monument" because I feel like we did not discuss it too much in class and I really enjoyed this piece.

The first thing I noticed was the iambic pentameter and the rhyming scheme. Every line is iambic pentameter and the rhyming scheme is ABBA, ABBA, CD, CD EE. By examining the rhyming scheme, you will notice that the first quatrain has a rhyming couplet in the middle, surrounded by another rhyming couplet. This form is repeated twice and the rhyming scheme carries over to the second quatrain. The formatting is also relevant. The indentations provide the rhyming couplet body of each quatrain and the first and last lines frame up each section.

The first two quatrains provide the most spread out rhyming scheme of the poem, ABBA. As the poem progresses, it switches to a quick sucession of CD CD and ends with a short heroic couplet EE. This form is representative of the moment that the sonnet is trying to capture. Each section times in the poem moves faster, and thus so do the verses become shorter. The first section mentions eternity, and the second tells it being carved in stone. Both represent long time periods, but stone carving seems slightly less eternal. The next section discusses it how a sonnet is like a coin, which fits in nicely with the CD CD rhyming scheme, and continues to shorten the time period. And the final stanza ends in a nice heroic couplet about death, which brings the poem full circle. By starting with a discussion of eternity and ending with death, it begs the question: is death the end?, or is there something that lives on for eternity?

I also like the meaning behind each of the stanzas. The second and third lines state, "Memorial from the Soul's eternity to one dead deathless hour." I like how this brings the idea of the eternal soul, which conflicts with the final hour of death, which is very much a moment in time. The title itself, as well as most of the poem play with the idea of moment and monument, which while only differing by two letters, are complete opposites, and this idea of contrast is frequently played with. The idea that the moment is fleeting and the monument is eternal is played around with often in the poem. Lines 4 and 5 state, "Whether for lustral rite or dire portent, Of its own arduous fullness reverent". Which, translated into modern english means, "Whether used as a purification ritual or to warn of death, a sonnet is full of difficult respectfulness". Purity is something eternal, death is something final. Lines 6-8 talk about the beauty and lasting value of a poem. I really enjoyed the next set of lines that say that that a sonnet, like a coin, reveals the contrast of the soul and power. The theme of contrast continues particularly well with the last four lines. Lines 11 and 12 state that a poem can give tribute to the great things in life, such as love and other appeals. But then the final two lines mention how a poem can also help in hard times, by easing the pain of death, or metaphorically "paying the toll to Charon", once again bringing up this idea of contrast.

Overall, I think this is a great poem, and I think this sonnet captures so much of what poetry, philosophy, and literature can offer humanity, such as comfort in hard times, appreciation in good times, the struggle of power and corruption, the beauty of life, and the question of eternity.