MAJOR 2

Name ፦ Zala Shivangiba s.

Year ፦ F.Y.B.A

Subject ፦ ENGLISH

Paper ፦ proficiency in English literature 

Name

Semester ፦ 1

Professor ፦  Shivangi ma'am 

Name of ፦ maharani shree nandkuvarba 

College mahila 

            { HOME ASSIGNMENT } 

Unit 1  understanding Litrature through verse

Poem 1  my mistress's eyes are nothing like the sun  

By  William Shakespeare 

• About poem ...

William Shakespeare April 1564-23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is the greatest writer in the English language and the dramatist. He is often called England's national poet . His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems and a few other verses, . His plays have been translated into every major  language and are performed . Shakespeare remains the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.

• summary...

This sonnet compares the speaker's lover to  other beauties-and never in the lover's favor. Her eyes are "nothing like the sun," her lips are less red than coral; compared to white snow, her breasts are dun-colored, and her hairs are like black wires on her head. In the second quatrain, the speaker says he has seen roses separated by color  into red and white, but he sees no such roses in his mistress's cheeks; and he says the breath that "reeks" from his mistress is less delightful than perfume. In the third quatrain, he admits that, though he loves her voice, music "hath a far more pleasing sound," and that, though he has never seen a goddess, his mistress-unlike goddesses-walks on the ground. In the couplet, however, the speaker declares that,"by heav'n," he thinks his love as rare and valuable "As any she belied with false compare"-that is, any love in which false comparisons were invoked to describe the loved one's beauty..

               { CLASS ASSIGNMENT } 

Unit 1 understanding Litrature through verse

Poem 1 my mistress's eyes are nothing like the sun  

By William Shakespeare  

• Analysis...

This sonnel, one of Shakespeare's most famous, plays an elaborate joke on the conventions of love poetry common to Shakespeare's day, and it is so well conceived that the joke remains funny today. Most sonnet sequences in Elizabethan England were modeled after that of Petrarch. Petrarch's famous sonnel sequence was written as a series of love poems to an idealized and idolized mistress named Laura. In the sonnets, Petrarch praises her beauty, her worth, and her perfection using an extraordinary variety of metaphors based largely on natural beaüties. in Shakespeare's day, these metaphors had already become cliche (as, indeed, they still are today), but they were still the accepted technique for writing love poetry. The result was that poems lended to make highly idealizing comparisons between nature, and the poets' lover that were, if taken literally, completely ridiculous. My mistress' eyes are like the sun, her lips are red as coral, her cheeks are like roses, her breasts are white as snow, her voice is like music, she is a goddess.

In many ways, Shakespeare's sonnets subvert and reverse the conventions of the Petrarchan love sequence the idealizing love poems, for instance, are written not to a perfect woman but to an admittedly imperfect man, and the love poems to the dark lady are anything but idealizing ("My love is as a fever, longing still / For that which longer nurseth the disease is hardly a Petrarchan conceit.) Sonnet 130 mocks the typical Petrarchan metaphors by presenting a speaker who seems to take them at face value, and somewhat bemusedly, decides to tell the truth. Your mistress' eyes are like the sun? That's strange-my mistress' eyes aren't at all like the sun. Your mistress' breath smells like perfume? My mistress breath reeks compared to perfume. In the couplet, then, the speaker shows his full intent, which is to insist that love does not need these conceits in order to be real, and women do not need to look like flowers or the sun in order to be beautiful.

The rhetorical structure of Sonnet 130 is important to its effect. In the first quatrain, the speaker spends one line on each comparison between his mistress and something else (the sun, coral, snow, and wires-the one positive thing in the whole poem some part of his mistress is like. In the second and third of his mistress is like. In the second and third quatrains, he expands the descriptions to occupy two lines each, so that roses/cheeks, perfume/breath, music/voice, and goddess/mistress each receive a pair of unrhymed lines. This creates the effect of an expanding and developing argument, and neatly prevents the poem-which does, after all, rely on a single kind of joke for its first twelve lines-from becoming stagnant

•. Themes...

ESCAPE FROM IDEALISM

The major focus of the poem is to free poetry from the ideal form of description. All of the sonneteers of that time used elaborated analogies to describe how ideal and beautiful their beloveds are . How can someone's breath be more delightful than the smell of perfumes? How can someone's breast be as white as snow? How can someone's lips and cheeks be as read as the coral? How can someone's hair be like golden wires? How can someone's voice be sweeter than music? How can someone's walk match the walk of goddesses? The speaker questions the conventional depiction of beauty by asking these questions and negating them by saying that his mistress's beauty is not of this level. Furthermore, he declares that all those people that describe their beloveds' beauty are liars.

This satire not only points out the idealism in poetry but also in all the fields of life. It shows that ideal wishes can never be fulfilled in this world, and the people dealing with such ideal forms are nothing but liars: Humans should ready themselves to accept the world as it is with all its imperfections.

FEMININITY

The poem addresses the problem of stereotyping the beauty of females by setting unreachable standards for it. It shows how males have set such out of the world expectations for the beauty of their female partners. We have created a fixed definition of beauty for all of the humans of the world when they are very diverse. Every person is different from another, and such stereotyping of beauty can never work. Rather, it will make the females inferior for not achieving the ideal standards of beauty.

The speaker stresses the point that poets have gone a step further by taking their standards of beauty above the level of goddesses. Such idealism questions the very essence of love If we are not ready to accept the imperfections of humans, how can we love them? Therefore, the speaker says that his mistress is full of imperfections and that he still loves her as much as others can Leve and beauty

THE SUPERFICIAL

The speaker's honest and simple view of his mistress shows that idealized versions of lo and beauty are superficial. The poem also plays with poetic conventions by comparing mistress's eyes to the sun, her lips to coral, and her cheeks to roses, but then saying she is nothing like these conventional images. 

Love and beauty

The speaker compares his lover's body to beautiful things like the sun, snow, roses, and a goddess, implying that she is less beautiful than them. However, he argues that beauty ideals are not important and can distract from love. Instead, he suggests that love, beauty, and admiration come from seeing someone for who they are, including their flaws 

                 { ESSAY } 

➡ .Introduction

Literature is far more than a collection of stories or poems; it is a mirror and a lens through which we understand ourselves and the world around us. Through narratives and diverse voices, literature possesses the remarkable ability to deeply influence human thought, emotion, and behavior. It can transport us to different eras, introduce us to different perspectives, and challenge our preconceived notions, making it a powerful tool for personal growth and societal understanding. 

Empathy and Connection

One of literature's most significant impacts is its capacity to cultivate empathy. When readers engage with characters, they experience their joys, sorrows, struggles, and triumphs as if they were their own. This emotional connection allows us to step into another person's shoes, fostering a deeper understanding of different life experiences and perspectives. Through storytelling, literature bridges divides, making the unfamiliar relatable and nurturing a more compassionate and understanding society. 

Intellectual and Personal Growth

Literature serves as a vital catalyst for personal and intellectual development. It expands our vocabulary and strengthens our reasoning abilities, equipping us to engage with complex ideas and articulate our own thoughts more effectively. By encountering different philosophies, belief systems, and cultural practices through literature, we are often challenged to confront our own biases and assumptions, encouraging critical thinking and self-discovery. This introspective journey can lead to profound shifts in perspective, empowering individuals to embrace new ideas and question societal norms. 

Cultural and Historical Insight

Furthermore, literature offers a unique window into different cultures and historical periods. By reading accounts from various times and places, we gain invaluable insights into the lives of people who came before us, fostering a greater appreciation for diverse cultures and traditions. Literature serves as a repository of human knowledge, capturing the essence of different eras and contributing to a richer collective understanding of the human story. 

.

Literature profoundly affects people by fostering empathy and understanding, sharpening critical thinking skills, and broadening their perspectives on the world and themselves. It serves as a mirror to society, reflecting both its flaws and virtues, and allows readers to explore diverse human experiences across time and cultures, leading to personal and spiritual growth. Through compelling narratives and diverse voices, literature entertains, educates, and provides a powerful means of emotional expression and connection, enhancing overall well-being and societal awareness. 

Fostering Empathy and Understanding

Literature allows individuals to step into the shoes of diverse characters, experiencing different realities and emotional landscapes. This narrative immersion cultivates empathy by exposing readers to varied perspectives and struggles, helping them understand and relate to people beyond their immediate experiences. By exploring different backgrounds and values, literature breaks down preconceived notions and builds bridges of understanding between individuals and communities. 

Developing Critical Thinking and Broadening Perspectives

Engaging with complex literary texts encourages readers to think critically about intricate themes, social issues, and ethical dilemmas. Literature challenges existing comfort zones and encourages a deeper examination of the world and one's own values. This process broadens horizons, exposing readers to different cultures, historical periods, and ideologies, thereby enriching their worldview and promoting intellectual growth. 

Providing a Mirror to Society and Personal Reflection

Literature acts as a powerful reflection of the society in which it is created, capturing its prevailing ideas, social issues, and cultural nuances. By presenting both the virtues and ills of the times, it prompts individuals to reflect on their own surroundings and make informed judgments. Writers often transport real-life events into fiction, creating a mirror that allows society to examine itself and initiate positive change. 

Enhancing Emotional and Spiritual Growth

Beyond intellectual development, literature provides solace and acts as a form of emotional catharsis. It offers a platform to process negative emotions and find healing through relatable stories and characters. This engagement with diverse emotional experiences contributes to personal and spiritual growth, connecting readers to the broader human condition and providing a sense of purpose and meaning. 

Facilitating Connection and Communication

Through the shared act of reading, people can connect with authors and other readers, fostering a sense of community and shared human experience. Literature's ability to transfer complex ideas and emotions from paper to the reader also enhances communication skills and helps individuals articulate their thoughts and feelings more effectively. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, the influence of literature on people is profound and multifaceted. It shapes individual identities, cultivates empathy, and sharpens critical thinking skills. By providing a rich tapestry of human experiences, literature not only educates and inspires but also connects us to the past and helps us navigate the complexities of the present. Ultimately, the stories we read and the ideas we encounter through literature contribute to a more thoughtful, compassionate, and enriched human experience for both individuals and society as a whole. ..