Attina Zhao Discussion 11

This weeks readings bring me back to 12th grade AP Literature, in which we dissected sonnets. The familiar terms of rhyme, rhythm, and meter really are a throwback. It was definitely a good refresher to keep in mind during the readings. Something new learned was the difference between Elizabethan and Italian sonnets, and learning all the technicalities was interesting. Poetry has always been fascinating in that it can be both structured or free-flowing, but it retains the same sense of freedom. It was also interesting learning the difference between poetry and prose; I had always associated the two with each other almost synonymously. I never really enjoyed reading poetry with which one had to puzzle out the meaning through several readings; call it impatience, but I prefer things more straightforward and clear-cut. However, there are certain things that are created for a more thorough reading, meant to be combed through several times, and there is a beauty in that too.