A short description of this blog and why it exists.
Over the course of the next 30 weeks, beginning Jan. 1st, 2011, you will be taking part in the varied and dynamic blogs of 2010's Summit Semester class. These 30 students entered into a program for learning to learn. We lived like monks, minus the robes and shaved spots atop our heads. We honed our skills as readers, writers, thinkers, and artists.
It was for Dr. Michael Bauman, professor of Theology at Hillsdale College in southern Michigan, that these sonnets were birthed. Many of us never before had the opportunity to write a sonnet. It was an assignment we were given three weeks to complete. For some, it took many hours to craft each line to their satisfaction. For others, they completed their sonnets in five minutes the day before they were due. The sonnets, many of them, were read aloud to the rest of the class and in front of Dr. Bauman. Each sonnet was then turned in for critique. They are as unique as the artists who constructed them.
The rules for sonnets followed:
- 14 lines
- 8 (Octave) consisting of a stated issue or question
- 6 (Sextet) consisting of the resolution or answer to the octave, including final two lines which summarize the sextet
- Each line must consist of equal syllable count
- Lines must be in form of Iambic Pentameter - meaning every second syllable must be stressed and there must be 5 movements of stress within the line.
- Octave and Sextet must follow a similar rhyme scheme, with the last word in the line being the key rhyme word. Examples:
- ABBA CDDC EFFE GG
- ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
- AABB CCDD EEFF GG
After the 30 weeks, I will open the blog up to additional writings by Semester 2010 students. So keep on coming back.
The purpose of this blog is to showcase the artistry, imagination, and skill of our class. It is also to bring attention to an increasingly dying art. Poetry - good poetry - is going the way of the Mammoth. Poetry has, over the last hundred years or so, bowed to the secular humanist's claim that all is relative, including words and their meaning. Poetry has held an incredible place in the history of language and expression. Such robust thought can be conveyed in only a few short lines of poetry. Sonnets in particular are of a dying breed. They are highly structured and packed with meaning and purpose. Each line encompasses well-thought intention and care, allowing for a beautiful semblance of thought and sound. We, as responsible Christians, must interject the beauty and grace of the gospel into all spheres of the culture. This is one humble attempt to add to that goal.
Read sonnets aloud, as poetry was meant to be heard.
Please comment on posts, as artists appreciate affirmation and constructive criticism.
Thanks for checking this blog out. And remember to check back on Jan. 1st.
