Sonnet VII: “How Soon Hath Time, the Subtle Thief of Youth”

John Miton (December 9, 1608-November, 1674)

-The first poem composed by Milton was called ‘On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity’ when he was in school in Cambridge.

-In 1640 Milton began writing pamphlets on political and religious matters when the Civil War began.

-Milton’s divorce from his 17 year old wife brewed three poems called ‘Divorce Tracts,’ ‘Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce’ and ‘The Judgment of Martin BucerConcerning Divorce.’

-Milton wrote twenty-four sonnets during his lifetime.

Personal Experience: The poem describes Milton’s inner battle with himself. He explains how his appearance is negatively affecting his chance for success as a poet. I can relate to his experience because as a seventeen year old student in high school I am not taken seriously because of my age. I am mature in the mind but not in the body and because of that I fear like Milton that I have not achieved anything in my life due to my age. But, I do have hope however that some day, when my time comes, God will grant me my wishes and my age will catch up with my inner maturity.

Structure of Poem: The structure of the poem is a Petrarchian style sonnet and iambic pentameter yet still produces a cohesive thought. Consisting of fourteen lines, each line has five perfect beats within.

Line Analysis:1 How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth,

In the first line, “How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth,” Time is the “subtle thief of youth.” As time goes on his youth seems to disappear and Milton can’t do anything to make it stop.

4 But my late spring no bud or blossom shew'th.In the fourth line, “But my late spring no bud or blossom shew’th,” Milton sees this point in his life at age twenty-three as the season of “spring.” It is said that one is born in the winter and as one reaches maturity they are progressing into “spring.” Though Milton should be mature as he enters the “spring” of his life, he does not feel that he is ready for this even though time does.

14 As ever in my great Task-Master's eye.In the last line of the poem Milton refers to God as the “great Task-Master’s eye.” A taskmaster is one who imposes a task or burdens another with labor. In this case Milton believes that God, “the Task-Master,” will make Milton strive hard so that one day he will be a better poet. He also feels that God intended him to be successful and he hopes that someday God will bless him.

Reilly L. Braun

Summary: If you are struggling with facing the fact that you have not achieved much in your life then this is the poem for you. Milton believes that his past and future are controlled by God, no matter how much he tries he cannot make his dreams come true without Gods blessing. Towards the middle of the poem he finally comes to terms with his destiny and says that his time for greatness is soon to come, all he can do now is patiently wait for God to give him the thumbs up.

Theme Development: Milton makes his argument that Time, personified with a capital T, is a thief that steals youth away before greatness can be achieved. He hasn’t seen outward signs of his greatness yet, but expresses faith that his future will unfold with God’s blessing. He decides that there is no need for impatience or worry because in good time he will be rewarded for his patience. Our theme ties in with “How soon hath time, the subtle thief of youth” because by the end of the poem Milton has chosen to live life in the moment and to make the most of the gifts he has been given. He knows that someday he will achieve his goals and that instead of only looking towards the future he takes it one day at a time.

Poetic Features: John Milton wrote essays, biographies, sonnets and poems. His greatest success was his epic poem, Paradise Lost. The poetic style of Milton, also known as Miltonic verse, Miltonic Epic, or Miltonic blank verse influenced other poets greatly.

How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth, Stoln on his wing my three and twentieth year! My hasting days fly on wtih full career, But my late spring no bud or blossom shew'th. Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth, That I to manhood am arrived so near, And inward ripeness doth much less appear, That some more timely-happy spirits endu'th. Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow, It shall be still in strictest measure even To that same lot, however mean or high, Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heaven; All is, if I have grace to use it so, As ever in my great Taskmaster's eye.

“When I have fears that I may cease to be.”

John Keats (1795-1821)

-Died at age of 25 due to tuberculosis.

-His literature was in publication for only 5 years due to his early death.

-Wrote his first surviving poem when he was 19; called: “An Imitation of Spenser”.

Personal Experience: John Keats wrote this poem at a time of distress when he expected his life would end shortly. He felt that his dreams were so broad that they would out live his life on earth. Although I don’t expect to have quite as short of a life as John Keats did, I still worry that I will not live to see the answers to several questions I have.

Structure of Poem/Line Analysis: Keats uses the structure of a Shakespearian Sonnet to illustrate his worries about the fact that he will die at a young age due to tuberculosis. In the first four lines he uses harvest imagery with words such as “glean’d” and “grain” in order to say that he will die before he has written the dreams and secrets locked inside his head (2,4). In lines 5-8 he uses words such as “starr’d,” “cloudy,” “shadows” and “magic” in order to create a dreamy tone to give the reader a picture of how incredible his dreams were (5,6,8). In lines 9-12, Keats stops illustrating a picture of what he possesses in his mind, and begins listing things he will never be able to enjoy such as “unreflecting love.” In the final couplet, lines 13-14, Keats resides his poem by explaining his sorrows as he stands alone watching as love and fame disappear as he reaches his death bed.

Summary: Anyone who can truly understand what John Keats is saying must read this poem. His ability to write such beautiful words should move any reader deeply. It shows a man who is at the top but is losing everything due to his inevitable death. This poem has the power to force anyone to really appreciate their life on earth.

Colin Alcorn

Theme Development: The theme my group chose was death in general. This poem displays a man’s thoughts and worries as he approaches his death bed at an early age. What many people wonder is what a human thinks about when they are approaching death and this poem truly gives someone and idea as the poet’s life his stolen from him.

Poetic Features:-Romantic emotion, passion, physical vigor, courage.-Never attained narrative or dramatic skill, but had the ability to render moods.-Used spiritual kinship of Ancient Greeks.

When i have fears that i may cease to be before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain, before high pil`d books, in charact'ry, hold like rich garners the full-ripen'd grain; when ibehold, upon the night's starr'd face,5 huge cloudy symbols of a high romance, and feel that i may never live to trace their shadows, with the magic hand of chance; and when i feel, fair creature of an hour! That I shall never look upon thee more, 10 never have relish in the faerypower of unreflecting love;—then on the shore of the wide world I stand alone, and think, till love and fame to nothingness do sink.

As I Walked Out One Evening

W.H Auden (1907-1973)

-Born and educated in England

-Moved To U.S in 1939

-Chancellor of The Academy of American Poets (1954-1973)

Personal Experience: When I first read this poem, I was somewhat confused on what was going on. I knew that the poem had something to do with time, but I didn’t know in what way. I liked that the poem seemed to flow as I read it.

Structure of Poem: The poem is not a sonnet and has an alternating rhyme scheme. Its meter is iambic, but with many variations.

Line Analysis:The poem is not a sonnet and has an alternating rhyme scheme. Its meter is iambic, but

with many variations.Summary: This poem’s meaning, to live life as it lasts, is a great reminder for everyone.Theme Development: The theme, live life to the fullest, is incorporated in the poem

through the presence of time. When the bells for the clock ring in the poem, they are a reminder to the lovers that they are not going to live for all of eternity. Then time begins to have dialogue, which is a poetic device called allegory. This is known because Auden capitalizes the word time, making it seem as if time was a character. In the dialogue, time tells the lovers that they “cannot conquer time” and that “life leaks away” each day. These create a theme of the poem that people should enjoy life because it will eventually end.

Poetic Features: This Poem -Allegory -Dialogue -StanzasAuden’s Work -Ironic tone -StanzasModern Era -free verse -multiple points of view -classical allusions

Mark Tatum

As I walked out one evening, Walking down Bristol Street, The crowds upon the pavement Were fields of harvest wheat. And down by the brimming river I heard a lover sing Under an arch of the railway: 'Love has no ending. 'I'll love you, dear, I'll love you Till China and Africa meet, And the river jumps over the mountain And the salmon sing in the street, 'I'll love you till the ocean Is folded and hung up to dry And the seven stars go squawking Like geese about the sky. 'The years shall run like rabbits, For in my arms I hold The Flower of the Ages, And the first love of the world.' But all the clocks in the city Began to whirr and chime: 'O let not Time deceive you, You cannot conquer Time. 'In the burrows of the Nightmare Where Justice naked is, Time watches from the shadow And coughs when you would kiss. 'In headaches and in worry Vaguely life leaks away, And Time will have his fancy To-morrow or to-day. 'Into many a green valley Drifts the appalling snow; Time breaks the threaded dances And the diver's brilliant bow. 'O plunge your hands in water, Plunge them in up to the wrist; Stare, stare in the basin And wonder what you've missed. 'The glacier knocks in the cupboard, The desert sighs in the bed, And the crack in the tea-cup opens A lane to the land of the dead. 'Where the beggars raffle the banknotes And the Giant is enchanting to Jack, And the Lily-white Boy is a Roarer, And Jill goes down on her back. 'O look, look in the mirror, O look in your distress: Life remains a blessing Although you cannot bless. 'O stand, stand at the window As the tears scald and start; You shall love your crooked neighbour With your crooked heart.' It was late, late in the evening, The lovers they were gone; The clocks had ceased their chiming, And the deep river ran on.

42, Coldplay

Summary: The song 42 by Coldplay is about living life to the fullest before you die. Throughout the entire song, they use, “Those who are dead are not dead” or “You thought you might be a ghost”, meaning that you might think you are dead or maybe you are a ghost that has not left life yet.

Evaluation: 42 relates to our poems because of the overall message which is, live life to the fullest before your time is up so that you are a ghost. Sonnet VII talks about how precious time is to us because when you’re gone, you’re gone, meaning death. When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be is discussing the topic of “Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain”, which meanings ‘have I written all that I would like to before I die.’ Not only does that mean with poetry and overall writing but with life; Have I lived and do all that I wanted to before I die. Lastly, As I walked out one evening describes how people think that time and love last forever, but time does not last forever.

Coldplay Information: When Coldplay issued their debut, Parachutesin 2000, many saw them as a Radiohead knock-off. No doubt, Coldplay's sound —elegant, melodic, vaguely spacey and very dramatic — bore plenty of similarity to mid-1990s Radiohead. But the group's hooks, sharpened by front man Chris Martin's ability to pull heartstrings, and their willingness to evolve their sound, gave Coldplay staying power. As a result, the band became one of the most commercially successful acts of the new millennium.

Brianna Jolla