Paper #1: Is This Love? due Sep.11th by 5pm

NOTE: The questions for Friday are in the post BELOW this one...

English 3213

Paper #1: Is This Love?

PROMPT: Using 3-4 Sonnets from the ones we’re reading in this unit of the class (1-94), make an argument for what kind of love and relationship the poet is exhibiting. Choose one of the following (or some variation of one of the following):

• A passionate, erotic relationship between two men which is consummated at some point (let us know the before and after)
• A passionate, idealistic relationship between two men which is not consummated, and the young man may or may not even know of the poet’s love (maybe the poems were intended to be private, like a diary?)
• A deeply committed friendship between two men who are not romantically involved but have a modern-day ‘bromance’ (maybe the poet is of a lower class, and couldn’t really hang out with him)
• A deeply committed paternal relationship on the part of the poet toward a younger man, whom he sees more like a beloved, if wayward, son (a playwright instructing a would-be actor?)
• OR, a fifth option, with some combination of the above (maybe one that turns into the other??)

In your paper, you should briefly trace how the relationship evolves, deepens, sours, and maybe even ends through these 3-4 Sonnets. You’re not trying to tell the entire story with these Sonnets, but just the basic outline. Summarize the story that you see and read in your paper, and then use a few close reading examples to bring it to life. Be sure to use Love: A Very Short Introduction as a source in this paper, quoting examples from the text to help you read/discuss the kind of love you encounter in the Sonnets.

CITATION: Be sure to cite lines from The Sonnets either by line or page number. You can also make poetry into single lines using the slash (/) for a line break as I did above. Introduce sources before you quote them (either de Sousa or the specific Sonnet you’re quoting) and include page numbers at the end. A Works Cited page should list all the sources you used in your paper.

REQUIREMENTS:

• At least 3-4 pages in length, but you can do more; be specific and try not to summarize too much.
• Close reading from specific Sonnets for support
• Use of de Sousa’s book for support—quote, don’t just summarize (it’s more persuasive)  
• DUE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11^th by 5pm!