Lyrics and Poem Project Example Elizabeth Barret Browning s Sonnet 43 and Michael Buble s Home Sarah Acker English 8 Ms. Acker October 18, 2006
Sonnet 43 Elizabeth Barrett Browning How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love thee to the level of everyday s Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight. I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. I love thee with the passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, or all my life! and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was a famous English poet. She was born in 1806, and received an extensive education; a rare thing for a woman in her day. She published her first volume of poetry when she was just thirteen. She did not have a pleasant childhood or early adulthood. She was plagued by illness, and forbidden to marry by her father. Barrett Browning lived with her parents, and wrote poetry until she was 39. At that time, Robert Browning began writing to her, and they had an extensive courtship through letter writing. In 1846 she eloped with Robert to Italy, for which her father never forgave her. There, she became healthy, had a son, and continued to write poetry. Although she is most famous for her collection Sonnets from the Portuguese, she also wrote many other pieces. Elizabeth Barrett Browning died in 1861 at her home in Florence. Sonnet 43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is from her collection Sonnets from the Portuguese, a sequence of forty-four sonnets in which she wrote to her husband, Robert Browning, while they were courting. Sonnet 43 is near the end of her sequence. This sonnet explains the depth of her love for Robert by saying in many different ways that she loves him with all her heart and soul and mind. The sonnet ends with Barrett Browning saying that she will love him even after death. The most notable poetic device used by Barrett Browning in this poem is rhyme. She chose a sonnet because this type of poem is usually associated with love poems. The rhyme scheme (ABBA ABBA CDECDE) is the traditional rhyme scheme for an Italian sonnet the love sonnet. This poem also includes many instances of imagery. The line I love thee freely, as men strive for Right creates the image of men fighting passionately as they fight for what they believe is right. This is Barrett Browning describing that she loves Robert freely, and will do whatever she need to do to be with him. There are several other examples of imagery in which Barrett Browning explains the depth of her love for Robert. I chose this poem because it is a very famous love poem, but most people only know the first line. Sonnet 43 makes me think of true romantic love, and reminds me of how I feel when reflecting on my feelings of love for another person. How Barrett Browning explains how she feels about Robert is extremely powerful, and she seems very genuine in her explanation.
"Home" Michael Buble Another summer day Has come and gone away In Paris and Rome But I wanna go home Mmmmmmmm Maybe surrounded by A million people I Still feel all alone I just wanna go home Babe I miss you, you know And I ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you Each one a line or two I m fine baby, how are you? Well I would send them but I know that it s just not enough My words were cold and flat And you deserve more than that Another aeroplane Another sunny place I m lucky I know But I wanna go home Mmmm, I ve got to go home 'Cause I m just too far from where you are I wanna come home And I feel just like I m living someone else s life It s like I just stepped outside When everything was going right And I know just why you could not Come along with me That this is not your dream But you always believed in me Another winter day has come And gone away In even Paris and Rome And I wanna go home And I m surrounded by A million people I Still feel all alone Oh, let me go home Oh, I miss you, you know I ve had my run Baby, I m done I gotta go home It will all be all right I ll be home tonight I m coming back home
Michael Buble is a Canadian music artist. He was born in Burnaby, Ontario on September 9 th, 1975. Although he pursued a music career through the 1990s, his breakthrough came when he sang at Brian Mulrouny s daughter s wedding in 2000. He released his self-titled album Michael Buble in 2003 and became a household name. He won the 2004 Juno for Best New Talent. He continues to record music, and appear in films. Michael Buble s song Home is his most successful single to date. In it he is in Europe, and speaking to a loved one at home through the seasons that he is gone, telling her that he is homesick. He has written letters to her, but never sent them. It was his dream to go to Europe, not her dream, and he recognizes this and appreciates that she allows him to follow his dreams. His loneliness is evident in the song, but it ends on a happy note, because he tells his loved one that he is on his way home. The most significant poetic device used in this song is repetition. Michael Buble repeats the phrase go home eleven times through the song to emphasize his feelings of missing his loved one and of loneliness. Another poetic device, which emphasizes the same emotions, is alliteration. The phrase got to go home is an example of alliteration. It creates a memorable and powerful phrase for the listener. I chose this song because I too have felt very lonely and homesick, even though I was off trying to achieve my dreams. I felt very alone at university at times, even though I was surrounded my thousands of people, including many friends. The end of the song reminds me of that wonderful feeling of coming home after being away. Truly, there is no better feeling.
References Abrams, M. H. et al. (1996). The Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Major Authors (6 th edition). New York: W. W. Norton & Company. Michael Buble Lyrics Home. <http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/michaelbuble/home.html> (October 18, 2006). 18, 2006). Michael Buble Wikipedia. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/michael_bubl%c3%a9> (October