Blythe writes:
"I think I see two interesting technical moves in Poe's "Sonnet: To Science." In the first quatrain the expected rhyme scheme is disrupted by the final line about the vulture. This produces a jarring that emphasizes that line.. . " (read the rest on Comments)
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Blythe continues:
"In the first quatrain the expected rhyme scheme is disrupted by the final line about the vulture."
[believe it or not, "realities" would be pronounced to rhyme with "eyes"! A poetic "cheat word."]
"Perhaps I may be translating words incorrectly to get the syllabic count that I find, but as I read it there are lines with 10 syllables and also lines with 11 syllables . This would be a technical deviation from the standard, traditional sonnet pattern of consistent pentameter."
[Remember that scanning is about counting stresses, not syllables. The 11th syllable can be part of a three-beat foot, or it can be a syllable that's pronounced as if it's slurred together, or elided, with the one next to it.]
"Both of these variations serve to highlight the "altering" that Science is doing to the world of classical tradition that the poet's heart is linked with.
[great!]
I am also noticing that the poem starts with a trochee to give power or strength to the word 'science'--perhaps a metaphor of sorts for the way the world of science is conquering the world of the poet's heart."
[Yes, the trochee at the beginning does call attention to the topic of the poem--in this case, the first word is the title, too. Think of all the poems that begin with "Hark!" or some other one-syllable, stressed word.]
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